On Sept. 20, police were dispatched to Des Plaines Avenue and Randolph for a delayed battery report. According to the police report, the victim told police that, around 10:30 p.m., he heard fighting between two women outside of Pioneer Tap. He said he exited his house and began to film the two fighting. He said both women and a man confronted him about filming, that one of the women hit him and the man tried to. He said the man threatened to return to his house and harm him before the three fled the scene in a white vehicle captured on video. The man said he’d sign complaints if the offenders were located and identified. He told police he’s made several past complaints about unruly behavior outside Pioneer Tap and, according to the police report, was informed at a recent village hall meeting to film unruly patrons to capture evidence. 

At that September village council meeting, three neighbors of Pioneer Tap complained about continued disruptive and criminal behavior during public comment. Neither staff nor commissioners responded to their public comment, which is customary. Police Chief Ken Gross later told the Review that residents should email or call the village with complaints about Pioneer Tap.  

Aggravated battery 

Police responded to the 900 block of Troost Avenue on Sept. 19 for a welfare check. There, a man was unconscious on the corner with a beer. Police performed sternum rubs to get him to respond and reported that he appeared to be intoxicated and was agitated. The man refused to show identification and spat on an officer, according to the police report. Police attempted to take him into custody for aggravated battery against police, but he lunged at an officer to defeat arrest, so police took him to the ground. He was taken to the police department and charged with aggravated battery of a police officer and two counts of resisting or obstructing arrest.  

Battery 

Police responded to Circle Inn around 10 a.m. on Sept. 20 for a report of a man who was bothering customers and armed with a knife. Police made contact with the man outside, who told them he was drinking with a friend and discussing politics when the two disagreed and his friend choked him. Inside Circle Inn, the friend told police that the man outside became upset over a political disagreement and punched him, so he grabbed him by the neck and took him outside. He said the man attempted to enter the bar again by threatening him with a knife. Another man tried to escort the man wielding a knife outside, and the offender punched him in the face. Neither said they wanted to sign complaints against the man, who was trespassed from Circle Inn which is located on Circle Avenue.  

DUI  

Police were dispatched to the 800 block of Dunlop Avenue on Sept. 21 around 10:30 p.m. after a car crashed into a fence in front of a house and the driver tried to flee the scene. When police arrived, the car was a half-block south of the accident in the middle of the road, and the driver was inspecting her car’s damage. Police reported that she smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech and acted belligerent. She said she had one drink, was driving too fast after exiting the expressway and denied trying to flee the scene. The woman showed signs of impairment during ​​standardized field sobriety tests. Police found open liquor in the car, which was still in drive and appeared inoperable due to disabling damage. During intake at the police station, they found a bag of suspect cannabis and a receipt from Pioneer Tap. The woman was charged with a DUI, illegal transportation of alcohol, operating an uninsured car, expired registration, failure to reduce speed, possession of cannabis outside an approved container, and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. 

Suspicious person 

On Sept. 22, police responded to the Park District of Forest Park on Harrison Street for a suspicious person call. Around 11 a.m., a young man was riding a bike with a knife near the pool area. Police found him near Lathrop Avenue and turned on their car lights. The man dropped the knife and bike. He told police he was at his residence when he got into a fight with his older brother, so he left with a knife to defend himself. Due to police’s previous mental health-related encounters with the man and his behavior, they asked if he was on any medications. He said he had prescriptions to pick up at Walgreens but couldn’t without his ID. Police took him to his residence to get his ID, where his older brother called their mother. She said she didn’t have her son’s ID, that her son didn’t need an ID to pick up medication, and that she would call Walgreens again but was certain he didn’t have medication ready to pick up. Then, the two brothers had another altercation. Police eventually placed the young man in custody pending a previous investigation involving a stolen firearm.  

In-state warrant 

On Sept. 26 just before 11 p.m., police were dispatched to the 900 block of Troost Avenue for a disturbance. Upon arrival, a woman was crying hysterically, bleeding from her lower lip and told police she had an active warrant out for her arrest, according to the police report. The woman was placed in custody and arrested. A witness told police he saw the woman and another female fighting as he was passing by and separated them. One of two people standing outside a residence said he was dating the woman who police took into custody. He said he didn’t want to sign complaints against her for damaging his car window, then said he broke it himself. 

These items were obtained from Forest Park Police Department reports dated Sept. 19 through Sept. 26 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.