On Feb. 11, police responded to Luv2Smoke at 7507 Roosevelt Rd. for an armed robbery. Dispatch reported that a man pepper sprayed the clerk and stole several containers of $4,000 worth of Delta-9 hemp, which can be legally sold outside a dispensary, before fleeing on foot. Police canvassed the area and set up a perimeter around a shared courtyard in the 7400 block of Roosevelt, where they saw the suspect. He exited a unit and was detained. Police entered the unit, where they found a hole in the wall in the basement where someone had thrown clothes consistent with what the robber was wearing. He was charged with armed robbery.
Criminal trespassing
While patrolling the 7200 block of Roosevelt Road on Feb. 11, police saw several people on the sidewalk in front of REM staffing agency engaged in a verbal argument that looked like it was about to become physical. Police reported that one man was threatening two people and swinging a metal wire object. The man was belligerent and tried to further confront the others while police addressed him, then pulled away from handcuffs. Police reported that he smelled of alcohol and later found that he was on REM’s do-not-employ list. Another person at the scene said the man was threatening the manager and employees at REM. In fear of receiving a battery, the person punched the offender once in the face. A witness confirmed the interaction, and neither wanted to press charges. The man was trespassed from the property, and police drove him to the Harlem CTA stop.
About an hour later, police were dispatched to REM again because the man returned. The manager told police that the man came back inside the business holding a large stick-shaped piece of plastic and threatened employees. The manager wanted to sign criminal complaints, and the man was charged with assault, disorderly conduct, and trespassing
On Feb. 13, police were dispatched to Famous Liquors at 7714 Madison St. for a disturbance and possible battery. Upon arrival, a man matching the given description was outside, and police detained him in handcuffs. The assistant manager of Famous Liquors told police that the man was banned for life from the business and that, when he came in, he started screaming and asked to go outside and fight. The man was charged with trespassing, assault and disorderly conduct.
Burglary
Just before 4 a.m. on Feb. 13, police were dispatched to Our Planet Automotive Services on Madison Street for the burglar alarm. Police reported that there was a broken garage window with a large brick on the ground inside. In an alley off Madison, police found a man hiding under a stairwell with fresh cuts on his hands and a leg. The man said he dove through the broken window because he needed a cell phone, so he stole one from the office. Police recovered the phone and several checks and credit cards in various names. The man was charged with burglary.
Police responded to the U-Haul at Harlem and Harrison on Feb. 14 to meet with a man who said he was burgled. He said he started paying for a storage unit in November and used his personal titanium lock. According to the police report, U-Haul contacted him in December that his lock damaged part of the unit. When he returned to the storage unit this month, he saw that U-Haul put on a new lock and, inside, found his belongings moved around and about $450 worth of clothing missing. The man said he’s pursuing a civil lawsuit against U-Haul, but police charged no one at the time of the report.
Open alcohol
While on patrol in the 7400 block of Randolph on Feb. 15 around 1 a.m., they pulled over a car with dark windows in violation of the Illinois Vehicle Code. While speaking with the driver, police saw a cup with suspect alcohol in the center cupholder. The driver said he and the passenger came from Pioneer Tap. The passenger, who owns the car, said the drink was his and was charged with open alcohol.
These items were obtained from Forest Park Police Department reports dated Feb. 10 through Feb. 15 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.