While on patrol May 29, police reported they witnessed a speeding car run a red light. Police turned on the police car’s lights and sirens, but the vehicle drove away at more than 50 miles per hour over the speed limit. The pursued car then hit a curb, landscaping pavers and an apartment complex on the 1600 block of South Harlem Avenue. Although there wasn’t much impact on the building, the car had “disabling damage,” according to the police report. Police said there was no one in the car, and that they observed a man running away from the crash. Police followed him on foot, but the man got away.
Motor vehicle theft
A man who lives on Roosevelt Road reported to police that he parked his car in a municipal lot May 27 around 9:30 p.m. When he returned just before 9 a.m. the next morning, he said his car was missing, though the vehicle was locked and he had the keys on him. There were glass shards on the ground around the space where his car was parked, according to the police report. Police said they have contacted a nearby business with a camera that may have captured the incident.
On May 30, police responded to Marengo Avenue for a motor vehicle theft. A man there said he last parked his van in the rear driveway the night before. Though he had the keys on him, he told police that the driver’s side door doesn’t lock. Police are checking footage on surrounding video cameras. The man said he wishes to sign complaints if the offender is located.
In-state warrant
On May 28, police were dispatched to Walmart after security called because of a subject who appeared to be on drugs. Walmart’s loss prevention employee told officers the man filled up a shopping cart with items totaling $640.48 before leaving the store without paying, according to the report. When officers ran the man’s name through their system, it came back with three serviceable warrants for his arrest out of DuPage County. The man was arrested for his in-state warrants and one count of retail theft.
Possession of controlled substance
Police were dispatched May 29 to the 200 block of Harlem Avenue for a drug investigation. According to the police report, there were two men sitting on the loading dock there doing drugs. Police said one of the men tried to hide something in his pocket and cover several syringes on top of a blanket. When police asked if he had any drugs on him, he said he was carrying heroin in his pocket and was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. The man was released from the Forest Park Police Department after signing his non-discretionary pretrial release.
Battery
A cab driver visited the police department June 2 to report a battery. He told police that on May 31 he drove a customer to the CTA Blue Line stop in Forest Park. But when the driver pulled up to the parking lot, the man got out of the car without paying his $40 fare and ran, according to the police report. The driver ran after him and, when he approached him, the man turned around and punched the driver in the face, knocking him to the ground, police said. The offender has not been identified and police said they couldn’t make him pay, even if he was.
These items were obtained from Forest Park Police Department reports dated May 28 through June 2 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.