Accomplices flee, designated driver arrested
A call about the theft of alcohol from the Jewel in the 7500 block of Lake Street sent River Forest police into action. Four men fled in a car following the theft, and police tried to pull them over. Instead of cooperating, the offenders’ vehicle ignored the lights and siren and took off at high speed. As police followed, the car crashed into a post in the 5500 block of Division in Chicago. The driver was arrested; his three companions ran away. Christopher Barron, 29, of the 5400 block of Augusta, Chicago, was charged with theft, aggravated fleeing and eluding, and several traffic offenses.
Armed robbery
In the 7200 block of North Avenue, police responded to an armed robbery report at 8:08 p.m., Sept. 18. The clerk said that as he opened the cash register, a man took a semi-automatic pistol from his waistband, laid it on the counter and demanded cash. The offender, who then fled on foot east toward Harlem, was described in the report as a male in his 30s, dressed in a white T-shirt, black pants and a wide-brimmed sun hat.
Robbery
A middle-aged man approached a woman in the 1100 block of Ontario, the morning of Sept. 24, snatched the $500 gold chain she wore around her neck, then ran away.
Theft from person
On Sept. 24 at 8:20 a.m., a man approached a woman from behind at Harvey and Superior and grabbed her iPhone out of her hand. He then fled eastbound.
Burglary
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A woman in the 800 block of Jackson in River Forest called police to report that, just before noon on Sept. 12, she spotted a man removing things from an open car trunk. When the man fled the scene in a car, the witness was able to note the plate and the make of the getaway car. Using that information, police located the car Sept. 16. Its owner, an Oak Park man, reportedly turned himself in and was charged with burglary. The stolen items were recovered.
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On Sept. 19 in the 7600 block of Washington, someone entered an unlocked vehicle and stole prescription glasses and $900 worth of shoes.
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A man in a “train conductor” hat is the suspect in the prying open, ransacking and burglary of a condo in the 900 block of Pleasant on Sept. 22 between 9:30 a.m. and 7:24 p.m. Stolen were electronics, jewelry and $300 cash.
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A partly open window was the point of entry in a burglary in the 200 block of South Kenilworth, Sept. 22 between 7 a.m. and 6:15 p.m. The offender(s) stole a hammer and a drill-bit case.
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On Sept. 22 during the day, someone broke a glass pane and entered the rear door of a residence in the 800 block of Pleasant, ransacked the flat, and stole $780 worth of electronics, among other items.
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An open overhead garage door in the 900 block of North Ridgeland permitted a burglar to ransack the Subaru parked within; this was during the night of Sept. 22-23.
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In the 700 block of Garfield between 10 a.m. and 8:25 p.m. Sept. 23, someone used a pry tool and brute force to break into an apartment. Two rooms were ransacked and $2,150 in electronics was stolen.
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In the 1100 block of North Oak Park Avenue, during the night of Sept. 24-25, someone broke a window in order to enter a Toyota Camry and steal some coins.
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Someone left a BMW unlocked in the first block of Division, overnight Sept. 24-25, enabling a burglar or burglars to ransack the console and glove box, then steal $10 in change as well as a pink and blue bag of makeup. The offender then opened the trunk and stole a gym bag containing an iPad, gym shoes, workout clothes, MAC cosmetics and a Coach travel bag.
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Just after 10:24 a.m., Sept. 27, in the 1000 block of North Elmwood, someone reached through the open passenger window of a parked Honda Odyssey and stole a “North Face” bag that contained a wallet, an iPhone, cash, credit cards, keys, a checkbook and a driver’s license. The bag, ID and keys were later found in the 400 block of Lenox and returned to the victim; everything else vanished.
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During the night of Sept. 26-27, in the 1100 block of South Elmwood, someone pried open the tailgate of an Isuzu and stole the lockbox that lay inside the car. The box held $700 cash, various documents, and a money order, made out to the victim, for $1,400.
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Between 4 and 4:30 p.m., Sept. 27, in the 1200 block of Harvey, a partly open car window allowed someone to steal the key, a money order for $600, and a wallet containing $180.
Burglary arrest
Zachary B. Bruns, 26, of the 100 block of North Sangamon, Chicago, was arrested, Sept. 23, for a residential burglary that took place July 15 in the 500 block of South Grove after a fingerprint recovered from the scene matched his.
Vandalism
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Someone broke the window of a storm door, Sept. 17, in the 500 block of Forest.
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On Sept. 23, in the 700 block of Lake Street, someone caused $150 in damage by breaking a car window.
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The morning of Sept. 23, someone used a two-pound brass fitting to damage a 9 x 6 foot double-pane window in the 1000 block of Pleasant Place (Mills Tower). Damage was estimated at $1,200.
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In the 100 block of Lake Street between 8:30 and 10:40 p.m., Sept. 26, someone damaged a parked vehicle, making dents in the hood and roof, and cracking the rear spoiler.
Theft
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At the Jewel in the 400 block of Madison, someone stole an unattended leather Gucci purse from the floor of the checkout area. The purse contained cash and the loss was estimated at $1,300.
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A 42-year-old Chicago man was arrested Sept. 26 at the CVS on Madison and charged with felony retail theft.
Aggravated UUW
In the 900 block of Jackson, Sept. 24, police arrested three people for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. One was also charged with disorderly conduct.
Criminal trespass
At 6:50 a.m., Sept. 27, in the 800 block of South Oak Park Avenue, a 21-year-old La Grange man was arrested and charged with criminal trespass to state-supported property after entering a restricted area in violation of posted signs.
These items, obtained from the Oak Park and River Forest police departments, came from reports filed Sept. 22-28 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.
Compiled by Amy Malina
