On Jan. 19 at 10 p.m., police were dispatched to Luv 2 Smoke at 7507 Roosevelt Rd. for a retail theft. There, a woman told police that, the day before, a man robbed the store while one of her coworkers was working. The coworker showed her a photo of the man, who came in while she was working so she called the police. The man pepper sprayed her before stealing $3,000 worth of merchandise. Video footage confirms the interaction. Police canvassed the area for the man with negative results.  

Theft  

Police responded to Boost Mobile on Harlem Avenue on Jan. 13, where earlier that day a manager saw on surveillance footage that a sales associate stole money from the cash register, and merchandise from a display shelf and storage cabinet before leaving through the business’ back door. According to the police report, the woman stole 44 items estimated to cost over $36,000. Police were shown footage that showed part of the theft and tried to call the suspect but couldn’t reach her. The manager said he’d sign complaints against the employee if police found her, which they hadn’t at the time of the report. 

Aggravated battery 

On Jan. 13, a caller reported to police around 10 p.m. that a suspicious person was on Madison Street after leaving Mugsy’s Tavern, where he threatened to shoot and kill people. At the bar, the caller told police a man was asked to leave multiple times for pouring his own liquor and threatened the bartender before driving away. The witness then went to Shortstop Lounge, where she saw the same man pacing by his car. Police found the man and told him he was no longer allowed at either bar and to leave the area, but he instead got closer to officers, spitting on one as he raised his voice. Police performed an emergency takedown, and the man continued pulling away from officers. He was charged with aggravated battery of a police officer and four counts of resisting an officer.  

Suspicious person  

Police responded to Portillo’s on Jan. 15, where an employee said a man who frequently asks for food and money on the property was in the bathroom and refused to leave. According to the police report, officers are familiar with the man as several local businesses have called to have him removed. Police escorted the man out of the building and advised him not to return to establishments that he has been trespassed from. 

Domestic battery 

Police were dispatched to a parking lot in the 100 block of Harlem Avenue on Jan. 17 at 10 p.m. after a business owner called about a couple who were fighting outside. The man told police that he and his girlfriend were arguing, she pushed him, and he fought back when she started hitting him. The woman told police that they were arguing in the car, and her boyfriend pulled her hair and slapped her. She said she got out of the car, and so did the man, then police arrived. Police reported no physical injuries to the woman, she declined medical attention and didn’t want to sign complaints against the man. Police provided her with a domestic violence victim information sheet and took the woman to the police department, where she was picked up by a family member. The man was released on the scene.  

These items were obtained from Forest Park Police Department reports dated Jan. 13 through Jan. 19 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.