Police were dispatched to the Dunkin’ Donuts on Harlem and Circle on Sept. 2 at 3 a.m. after dispatch told them there were four men wearing masks with a gun. The victim told police that the men came into the store, pointed a gun at her, took the register and fled. Camera footage shows four men in masks and gloves get out of a grey Hyundai SUV, enter Dunkin’ Donuts, go behind the counter to remove the cash register tray, then drive away. The store manager estimates the loss at $214.
Dog bite
Around 8 a.m. on Sept. 6, police were on patrol when they were dispatched for a dog bite. A woman told police she was walking on Lincoln Court when two dogs came from Brown Avenue. One of the dogs bit her thigh, then her dog’s torso. Police reported there were bite marks and blood on both the woman and her dog. Two witnesses heard the woman scream when she was bit, and one of them saw the dogs off leash with their owners before the incident. The woman was taken to Rush Oak Park Hospital. Police canvassed the area for the dogs and their owners with negative results.
Aggravated DUI
Police were dispatched around 1 a.m. on Sept. 5 for an accident near Roosevelt and Lathrop. Upon arriving, police saw a vehicle turn into a parking lot, and the victim told police that the offending driver was operating the vehicle. Police made contact with the offending driver, who they reported smelled of alcohol and had slurred speech. The car had significant front-end damage. The victim said she was at a red light when the offending vehicle hit her from behind. She said she made contact with the driver before he drove away and took video of him doing so. The woman and her passenger complained of neck and back pain, so the Forest Park Fire Department ambulance arrived to evaluate them, though the two said they’d self-transport to the hospital. The woman later reported a vertebral disc extrusion caused by the accident, which will cause physical therapy and continued treatment. Police placed the offending driver in custody, and he was charged with a DUI, having a BAC over 0.08, an aggravated DUI, having a suspended license, getting an aggravated DUI while having a suspended license, leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, and failure to reduce speed.
Fights and disturbances
Around 12:30 a.m. on Sept. 5, police were on patrol when they saw a red Jeep cross over the center median on Harlem. They pulled over the car, and the driver said she’d picked up passengers from Shortstop Bar and was driving them home when there was an argument in the car, causing her to swerve. During the traffic stop, dispatch told police that there was a disturbance at Shortstop Bar at 7425 Madison St. Dispatch said about 15 people were physically fighting and had dispersed. Police went to the bar, where they said patrons were uncooperative, though one told them some people involved in the fight left in a red Jeep. Police who pulled over the Jeep asked if its occupants were involved in the fight, and one of them said they were hit, and he and his friends fought back. Police brought the witness at the bar to the traffic stop, but he was unable to identify any of the occupants in the Jeep, so they were released from the scene.
In-state warrant
Police were dispatched to the 600 block of Circle around 10 a.m. on Sept. 1 for public indecency. A witness told police that he was working construction in the area when he saw a man exposed and masturbating on top of the slide at Veterans Park. He saw a family enter the park, then a mom pull her child away when she saw the man. When police arrived at Veterans Park, they asked the man to get off the slide, but he was uncooperative and belligerent, according to the police report. Police ran the man’s name and found him to have a warrant out of Cook County, so they put him in handcuffs. The man continued to pull away and flail his legs, kicking an officer in the nose. He spit at another officer, and two more at the police station. He was charged with the warrant, public indecency, three counts of aggravated battery against a police officer, four counts of obstructing a police officer, and possession of drug paraphernalia since police found him on the playground with a glass pipe.
Domestic battery
Police were dispatched to the 900 block of Ferdinand Avenue on Aug. 31 after a witness reported that a woman stuck her head out a window and shouted, “Call the police, he’s hitting me again.” Police previously responded to the address three days prior for a domestic battery, where the victim wished to sign complaints against the offender. Police made contact with the same victim, who denied a physical altercation or asking for help. Police then made contact with the offending man in front of the residence and placed him in custody. At the police station, police reported that the man made suicidal statements, so he was taken to Rush Oak Park Hospital. When he’s released, he will be charged with domestic battery.
These items were obtained from Forest Park Police Department reports dated Aug. 31 through Sept. 6 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.