Police responded to the 800 block of Harlem Avenue after a woman called March 1 and said the father of her child had hit her. She provided a description of the man and the direction that he left the area. Police addressed a subject who matched the description, but he continued walking, refusing to stop or speak to police. When the officer approached the man, he swung his arm to try and hit the officer, then started yelling and clenching his fists. The officer drew his taser and activated it, warning the man that he would tase him. When the man stopped advancing at the officer, he replaced his taser to deescalate the situation and requested backup. When backup officers arrived and grabbed the man’s arm, he attempted to grab back and pull away, still refusing to give his name.

The man was placed in handcuffs. After looking in his backpack, police confirmed his identity with an expired driver’s license.

He was not the man police were looking for.

He was released from handcuffs, requested medical attention for small cuts on his hands and was taken to Oak Park Hospital. Sergeant Andrea Caines gave him her contact information and advised that he could come to the station and file a complaint, the police report said. The man was issued a citation for obstructing a peace officer and given an April court date.

Assisting fire department

  • During the St. Patrick’s Day parade March 2, police observed a man on the ground on the 7500 block of Madison Street. He was riding a miniature motorcycle in the parade, made a turn and fell off, hurting his chest and back and hitting his head on the pavement. He was taken to a nearby hospital.
  • On March 1, the fire department responded to a call at a Marengo Avenue apartment of a person who fell after experiencing a medical incident and couldn’t get up. The fire department forced entry into the apartment. The subject was given medical treatment and transported to the hospital.

Aggravated flee or attempt to elude peace officer

  • On Feb. 27, police responded to the 7600 block of Adams to address reports of a screaming person. Upon arrival, they noticed a man exiting the address and getting in a car. Officers addressed him and he reported the screaming person had walked away. The man drove off and police followed, later turning on sirens because he entered a parking lot on the 600 block of Harlem Avenue without signaling to avoid the stoplight. The man fled at more than 80 miles per hour in a 55 mile-per-hour zone. The officer turned off the sirens, but another officer later “captured” the driver, the police report said.
  • While on patrol Feb. 29, police noticed that a red Dodge Challenger didn’t have registration attached to the front of the vehicle. It exited Thorton’s gas station at high speed and, on the 600 block of Harlem Avenue, turned off its headlights and taillights. When police attempted to pull over the car, it made a U-turn and sped around 85 miles per hour in a 55 mile-per-hour zone. As the Dodge gained distance, the officer stopped pursuing the vehicle. Police later learned the car was stolen from Palos Hills earlier in the day.

These items were obtained from Forest Park Police Department reports dated Feb. 26 through March 3 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.