On Aug. 7, an officer was about to pull over a white Kia, believed to be stolen because of its registration number, according to the police report. But before police could turn on the car’s sirens, the Kia sped off east on Madison Street from 1st Avenue. The car disregarded traffic control devices and drove at high speeds into oncoming traffic, making it difficult and dangerous for police to get close enough for a traffic stop. Another police officer parked at the bottom of an entrance ramp as the Kia got on I-290, hit the back of the police car and lost its front right tire. Police continued pursuing the car as it got off the expressway at Austin Boulevard. At a dead-end road in the 5700 block of Erie Street, four men got out of the car and ran. Police caught two of the men and took them into custody, where both were arrested on four counts of resisting or obstructing a police officer and one count of criminal trespass to a vehicle. One was also processed for an in-state warrant, while the other was charged with possessing firearm ammunition without a firearm owner’s identification card. 

Deceptive practices  

  • A Chicago woman found an apartment at 1001 Dunlop Ave. for rent on Facebook Marketplace. The person who answered her inquiry about the listing asked her to transfer $365.00 to apply for the apartment and hold it for her to view, according to the police report. The woman did, but when she arrived Aug. 5, discovered the person had no relationship to the address or landlord of Invitation Homes. Police told her they cannot investigate because the crime happened in Chicago. The woman asked the Forest Park Police Department to write up the report for her bank.  
  • A woman living on Hannah Avenue reported to police Aug. 9 that she was scammed for a waterproofing job conducted by ASAP Masonry & Roofing. She told police that workers came to waterproof her residence, but 41 days after, she experienced leaking again. She paid $12,000 for work that was supposed to have a 35-year warranty. When she contacted the phone number she was given for the company, she discovered that the number had been disconnected. She called the phone number she found on the website and an employee told her they would fix the issue, but any attempt to contact the company has been met with negative results. Police told her to contact the Better Business Bureau to report the company.  

Tenant dispute 

A woman living on Des Plaines Avenue told police Aug. 6 that a day earlier she was in her apartment complex’s hallway when the neighbor’s unleashed dog jumped on her. She told police this had happened before, so she called the property owner to file a complaint. Later that day, the dog’s owner knocked on her apartment and told her that if she was kicked out because of her dog, there would be problems. The police report is a matter of record, and no one was charged. 

Suspicious circumstances  

A woman living on Rockford Avenue called police Aug. 7 to report a white van circling around her home. She told police that her mother had been followed to a physical therapy appointment by a white van. When her mother pulled over to let the van pass, the van made a U-turn at the next intersection. The woman shared several other suspicious incidents with police. In May, the woman said she was walking in her alley and saw another woman by her garage, who said she was looking for a silver car and someone who owed her money. The woman also reported that a gray Jeep followed her while she was walking a dog and, in June, her Xfinity router was hacked.  

Village ordinance violation 

On Aug. 11, police were dispatched to Mugsy’s at 7640 Madison St. for reports of people preparing to fight outside the bar at about 1 a.m. Police arrived and observed individuals shoving each other and a verbal altercation, including threats of shooting, according to the police report. Police physically restrained and pushed back multiple subjects, police said. One man repeatedly refused police commands and restraints, and attempted to incite further violence, so police brought him down to the ground and placed him into handcuffs, officials reported. He was arrested on one count of a village ordinance violation, one count of disorderly conduct and one count of resisting or obstructing an officer.  

These items were obtained from Forest Park Police Department reports dated August 5 through August 11 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.