Loaded Beretta hidden in weed-scented Jeep
At 5:36 p.m. in the 600 block of Harlem April 19, police noticed a Jeep with unlawful tinted windows and ran the plates; this showed the Jeep’s registered owner had a revoked license. The driver got out of the car, but when an officer asked to see his license, he responded, “This is not my car.” Donnivan D. Allen, 24, of Chicago, said he would get it from the Jeep. Police noticed the smell of burnt cannabis from inside the Jeep and told him they would retrieve it for him. A check of Allen’s license revealed it was suspended. The odor of weed was stronger inside the car, and police noticed remnants of cannabis in the ashtray. A fuse panel under the steering wheel was not flush; at a touch it dropped down, revealing to officers a 9mm Beretta with an extended magazine. The magazine contained 22 live rounds. There was also one round in the chamber. Police learned Allen did not have a FOID card, nor a license to carry concealed. Allen was charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon, as well as unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, no FOID card, and driving on a suspended license.
Never count your money while you’re sitting at the table
A man called police to say he had been robbed at gunpoint. The victim reported drinking “a few beers” and winning $700 at video poker at the Cermak Beach Bar in the 6500 block of Cermak Road in Berwyn, after which he drove to his home on the 200 block of Elgin Avenue and pulled into his garage around 1:20 a.m. Upon exiting the car, however, he was accosted by two men — one masked — who displayed a semi-automatic handgun and ordered him to the ground. The men then reached into his front pockets and relieved him of the cash and his iPhone. Police pinged the stolen phone, which generated a signal in southwest Oak Park and then again behind the Ferrara Candy factory. They were unable to locate the phone. Police are continuing the investigation.
Battery
A woman told police a man who came to visit her son at their home in the 800 block of Circle Avenue severely beat her boyfriend, who was too intoxicated to defend himself. The beating occurred at 1:30 a.m. on April 12. She drove the victim to the ER at Oak Park Hospital, but he was found to be so severely injured that he was transferred to Loyola. Asked why she did not call police or an ambulance at the time of the incident, the woman said she is afraid her father, the property owner, would evict her. No arrest was reported.
Burglaries, successful and otherwise
In the 1400 block of Circle Avenue, April 14 someone entered an unlocked and open garage and stole a purple mountain bike valued at $400.
Residents of a house in the 1000 block of Desplaines Avenue told police April 14 they heard their house alarm sound for the rear door around 1:30 p.m., but noticed nothing suspicious at the time. Later, however, they noticed someone had in fact pried semi-successfully at the locking mechanism.
Money whisked from Honda
A woman told police someone stole $200 from a wallet left in her Honda van parked in the 7700 block of Monroe Street around 10 p.m. April 14. She thought she locked the vehicle, but she said she may have been mistaken.
Hang up or pay up
A Westmont man driving a Hyundai sedan April 14 was stopped because he was on his cell phone while driving. He was also unlicensed and uninsured, so he got three tickets and his validly licensed passenger drove them both from the scene.
A 27-year-old Flossmoor man was stopped in the 1000 block of Harlem April 16 for talking on his cell phone while driving. A check of his name showed he was wanted by police in East Hazel Crest.
Mercedes hood ornament missing
A woman told police someone stole the hood ornament from her 2006 Mercedes while it was parked in front of her house sometime April 11-12 while it was parked in the 1400 block of Elgin Avenue.
Endangered pedestrian
A Lombard woman told police she saw a female pedestrian in the marked crosswalk at Madison and Thomas around 6 p.m. April 16, but failed to stop because she “wasn’t sure” if she was trying to cross the street or not. The driver was issued a local ordinance ticket.
Missing part
In the 100 block of Des Plaines, a man reported when he started his Toyota truck, it made a loud noise which turned out to be because his catalytic converter had been cut off the vehicle sometime between March 17 and April 15.
Unlicensed dog plays rough
A woman in the 7700 block of Adams told police that, while her small child rode a scooter down the block the afternoon of April 18, an unleashed Australian Shepherd ran across the street and jumped at the child, breaking a hole in her shirt. The dog’s owner was issued a local ordinance citation and advised to leash the dog and obtain a dog license.
Felony retail theft
Walmart security staff reported two men stealing televisions from the store at 1300 Des Plaines Ave. around 7 p.m. April 18. Police found a stolen television in one offenders’ Cadillac DeVille parked outside. A search of one of the suspects recovered two CDs. Because of the value of the stolen items, both men were charged with felony theft. One suspect refused to talk to police. The other stated he has a heroin habit and stole the items “for the fun of it.”
Easter items a steal
A 31-year-old woman from Berwyn was detained April 19 for stealing cosmetics, as well as Easter and baby-related items, from Walmart, with a total value of $85.18.
These items were obtained from the records of the Forest Park Police Department, April 15-20, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anyone named in the report has only been charged with a crime.
—Compiled by Amy Malina
