During the first week of 2024, area police reports responded to two reports of shots fired, one near the Taco Bell on the northwest corner of Randolph Street and Harlem Avenue.

The first incident took place on Jan. 3 at around 3 p.m. The witnesses who were using a Taco Bell drive-thru said a black 2026 Infiniti SUV pull into the alley to the west. Three to five people got out of the car, and the driver got out. While they didn’t see anyone firing a gun, they heard a gunshot. They then saw the car drive north through the alley. At this point, a witness was able to take a picture of the car. The SUV then turned south onto Harlem Avenue, before u-turning and heading north. 

The Oak Park police officers who responded to the call saw an Infiniti that matched the witnesses’ descriptions speed north on Harlem Avenue. They chased it, losing track of it as it headed into Chicago on Grand Avenue. They found two shell casings in the alley, but no evidence that anyone was injured.

The second incident took place on Jan. 7 at the 300 block of Burkhart Court, sometime after 10:51 p.m. The officers found four shell casings in front one of the homes. The homeowner said that a series of “loud pops” woke her up, but she didn’t see what actually happened. 

The closest security cameras are located on the nearby stretch of Madison Street, but the police officers didn’t have access to the footage at the time of the report.

Death threat

A former employee of Weinstein Wholesale Meats showed up at her former place of work after telling a former co-worker via text message that she was “about to blow this popsicle stand.”

The ex-employee showed up at the Weinstein plant on the morning of Jan. 2. When questioned by the police, she said she wanted to pick up her personal belongings from her desk. The police officer and an employee went to check the building but didn’t find anything she was looking for.

According to the police report, the officers tried to tell the ex-employee that what she texted was “highly concerning, threatening in nature and require a serious response.” The ex-employee reportedly brushed them off. She left the property without incident. 

Motor vehicle thefts

Forest Park saw two vehicle thefts – one of which was stolen overnight and one was stolen as the owner went inside the gas station to pay.

The first theft happened Jan. 2. The victim parked her silver 2016 Lexus SUV at Thornton’s gas station. A little after 4:39 p.m., she went inside the gas station to pay.

The gas station security cameras captured a white 2024 Acura MDX and a white 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee pulling into the lot and park. The Acura driver exited the car, went to check the Lexus and, once he realized that the car wasn’t locked, he waved at the Jeep and got into the victim’s car. A man got out of the Jeep’s front passenger side door and went into the driver’s side of the Acura. All three cars then drove off, heading south on Harlem Avenue.

Earlier that day, the Park Ridge Police Department reported the Acura as stolen, and the thieves used the Jeep during the theft, 

The victim’s purse, which included her phone, credit cards and jewelry, were inside the Lexus when it was stolen. Later that day, the victim was able to sue the phone’s location finder and saw that it last pinged near the spot where Pulaski Road passes over Eisenhower expressway. 

The second theft happened overnight at the 7500 block of Jackson Boulevard. The owner of the silver 2016 Chrysler 300 discovered that his car was missing Jan. 5 at 1 p.m. The police officers who responded to the call found broken glass where the car was parked.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Dec 27, 2023 to Jan. 7, 2024, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.

Compiled by Igor Studenkov