Armed man’s attempt to rob business foiled
The owner of a Forest Park restaurant called police after foiling an attempted robbery by slamming the door in the face of a man armed with a gun on the night of Oct. 22.
According to the police report, about 10:45 p.m. a black male between the ages of 40 and 50, 6 feet tall, with a bald head, wearing a black leather jacket, black jeans, black boots and carrying a yellow umbrella, attempted to open the rear door to J&J Fish, 319 Harlem Ave.
After seeing that it was locked, the man knocked loudly on the door. An employee twice told the person knocking on the door to come around to the front before finally opening the door and looking to see who it was.
When the employee opened the door, the offender reportedly told the employee to leave the door open before stepping from behind a dumpster armed with a black handgun. The employee quickly closed the door and called 911.
The offender was last seen leaving the area northbound in the alley between Elgin and Harlem avenues. No one was injured and nothing was taken from the business. Police later located a yellow umbrella in a garbage can in the alley. Police kept the umbrella as evidence and sent it to the Illinois State Police Crime Lab for testing.
Aggravated assault
Forest Park police charged a 35-year-old Maywood man with aggravated assault, criminal trespassing and possession of cannabis after responding to the Shortstop Lounge, 7425 Madison St., for a report of a “man with a gun.”
According to the police report, bar employees said the man was smoking a cigarette inside the bar and that he got angry when he was asked to put it out. The man reportedly also was drinking alcohol he brought in from outside the bar.
After being told to leave the bar, the man allegedly said, “I got a gun and I ain’t afraid to use it,” prompting a call to police.
Police said the man was very intoxicated and had three bottles of beer stuffed into his right sleeve. They also recovered a small amount of cannabis from the man, but did not locate a weapon.
Tired of package thefts
A 31-year-old Forest Park man went to police on Oct. 19 after repeatedly having packages delivered to his apartment building stolen.
According to the police report, the victim said he has had about $2,000 worth of merchandise stolen shortly after delivery, before he could retrieve packages from the lobby.
The most recent theft took place on Oct. 18, when about $74 in protein beverages were taken. On Sept. 22, items of clothing valued at $288 were stolen.
Computer repair scam
A 70-year-old Forest Park man called police on Oct. 17 to report that he’d given remote computer access to a man who claimed to be from “Microsoft Firm” and that the man was demanding money in exchange for giving computer access back to him.
The victim said he got a call from someone on Oct. 16 claiming he needed access to the victim’s computer in order to fix some problems. He gave the man access and the man told him he’d be sending the victim a $350 refund because his firm no longer supported software on the computer.
Later, the repair man told the victim that he accidentally refunded the victim $3,200 and demanded a full refund in Walmart gift cards. The victim ended up wiring the man $1,500 to a location in Texas.
On Oct. 17, with access to his computer still blocked, the victim called the repair man, who demanded more money to unlock the computer. Police referred the victim to the U.S Postal Service police since it involves wire fraud.
Burglary to vehicle
Police responded to Planet Fitness, 7530 Roosevelt Road, on Oct. 17 about 1:30 a.m. after a 57-year-old Chicago man called to report that his vehicle, which was parked in the lot, was burglarized.
The victim returned to his vehicle to find the lights on and the doors unlocked. The rear seat had also been folded down, giving access to the trunk. It was unclear if any items were taken.
A resident of the 7200 block of Randolph Street called police on Oct. 16 to report that sometime between 8:45 and 9:15 a.m. someone had entered her vehicle. According to the police report, the hood of the vehicle and door were open and a fuse lay on the ground next to it. In all, police said 10 fuses had been removed from the fuse box.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Oct. 16-22, 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 Bob Uphues
