Panhandler beats up man in Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot
A man was beaten outside a Dunkin’ Donuts on Jan. 10, after declining to give a panhandler money. The Forest Park man walked up to 7200 Circle Ave. about 7:46 a.m. when a panhandler asked him for money, according to a police report. The man said no, and walked into the Dunkin’ Donuts. The panhandler, dressed in a black jacket, dark jeans, about 35 years old, leaned against the restaurant’s window. When the Forest Park man exited the Dunkin’ Donuts, the panhandler spat at his face, narrowly missing the victim’s head.
The two started exchanging words, and eventually the Forest Park man started to call 911. The panhandler walked west toward the edge of the Dunkin’ Donuts, and the Forest Park man followed him. The panhandler then picked up ice and snow and hit the victim with it; the two started to fight, while the man was still on the phone with 911 dispatch. At some point, the panhandler struck the victim’s right hand, causing it to bleed. The offender then ran to a nearby CTA Green Line station, while the victim remained on the line with dispatch.
When the police arrived, the victim declined medical attention.
Steering wheel theft
Offenders pulled the steering column off a car parked at 1005 Desplaines Ave. A Forest Park woman told police she remote-started her parked Jeep about 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 9. Once she walked up to her car, she saw the driver’s side rear door had been broken and someone had pried off her steering column. She didn’t know if it occurred that day or before, since Jan. 9 was the first day of the new year she tried to use her car.
Offenders replace stolen car with bike
A man’s car was stolen, Jan. 10, after he left his car running at Pastries by Kay, 7332 Madison St. A Cicero man left his Chevy pick-up running about 10:14 p.m., after he ran back into work to pick up something he forgot, according to a police report. When he exited the bakery, his car was gone and a bicycle was left next to where it had been parked.
Men with gun carjack BMW
Two men with a gun threatened a man and stole his car. A Forest Park man was about to pull into his driveway at 110 Belvidere Ave. about 8 p.m., Jan. 10, when a red sedan swerved in front of his BMW, according to police. Two men in their 20s exited the sedan and approached the BMW; one held a semi-automatic pistol. Offenders told the driver to get out of the car and on the ground. The driver asked the man with the gun, who was wearing a mask and yellow scarf, if he could get a bag out of his car. The man retrieved his bag. One man then drove off in the sedan southbound on Belvidere Avenue. The other offender drove off in the BMW, first northbound on Belvidere Avenue and then eastbound on Circle Avenue, leaving the car’s tailgate open. The victim said his coat was left in the BMW, which contained his driver’s license, green card and credit cards.
An off-duty police officer later reported seeing a gray BMW driving erratically eastbound on Washington at Harlem Avenue. The officer said he saw the car pull over, and a man wearing a mask jumped out of the BMW, shut the tailgate, and then drove off.
Intruder in their home
Two Forest Parkers woke to an offender standing outside their bedroom door, Jan. 11 at 501 Hannah Ave. about 2:44 a.m., according to a police report. Dressed in dark clothing, the offender was approximately 5-8 and held a lit cellphone. they fled through the back door.
The two then walked through the house and noticed an Apple MacBook Air computer had been taken from their coach. They told police they believe the offender entered through the back door, which had a broken lock that the wind sometimes blew open. There were no signs of forced entry. When police exited the home, they found the missing computer in the trash.
Woman refuses to return U-Haul
On Dec. 12, 2017 at 10:23 a.m., a woman signed a contract to rent a U-Haul truck at 801 Harlem Ave., agreeing to return it by 7 p.m. the same day, according to a police report. The complainant told police the woman never returned the truck. They had spoken to the woman by phone multiple times, trying to get her to return the truck; the woman refused. The whereabouts of the U-Haul is still unknown.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Jan. 8-14, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.
Compiled by Nona Tepper
