A woman demanded money from a bank teller at the TCF Bank branch inside the Jewel-Osco, 7525 W. Lake St. in River Forest, at about 10:50 a.m. on Dec. 31, according to a release from the River Forest Police Department.
“There was a weapon implied,” Police Chief James O’Shea said.
He declined to comment on whether any money was taken, saying the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) wanted to handle the release of that information. The FBI is offering a reward of $1,000 for the woman’s arrest.
After allegedly threatening the bank teller, the woman walked out of the bank towards Brown Avenue. Residents can call the FBI at 312-421-6700 or local police at 708-366-7125 with tips.
Carjacking incidents
- A masked man with a gun threatened a man in a car at about 5:48 p.m. on Jan. 7 on the 500 block of Auvergne Place.
The man approached the driver’s side door, pointed a handgun at the victim and then pulled on the door handle. “He told her to get out of the car and when she made a choice not to, he ran,” Police Chief James O’Shea said. The offender then ran north on Auvergne Place.
O’Shea said he believes the attempted carjacking may been connected to similar incidents in Maywood and Broadview. He said detectives are working with those agencies to capture the carjacker.
- An Oak Parker and a resident of Marietta, Georgia, were carjacked at gunpoint in the 200 block of South Oak Park Avenue at 8:20 p.m. on Jan. 4.
The victims were seated inside owner’s 2012 Honda Civic, when they were approached by two by two men on both sides of the vehicle. The offender on the passenger’s side of the vehicle pointed a small, black handgun and ordered the driver out of the vehicle. The second offender similarly ordered the passenger out.
The two offenders then took the car and fled northbound in the alley and eastbound on Pleasant Street. The estimated loss is $10,000.
The gunman was described as black, between the ages of 18 and 25 with a thin build and wearing a dark sweatshirt with a hood and blue pants. The other offender was described as a white male between the ages of 25 and 30 with a thin build, long blonde, dirty hair and wearing a dark knit hat and dark clothing.
- An Oak Park woman was carjacked in the 100 block of Harrison Street in Oak Park at 3:49 p.m. as she parked her car.
The victim was parking her gray Pontiac Torrent in her garage, when she was approached by a man in a black coat and black pants who displayed a firearm. The offender then took the vehicle and fled in an unknown direction.
Robbery
- An Oak Park man was assaulted and robbed at gunpoint in the vestibule area of his apartment building in the 900 block of Pleasant Street at 10:03 p.m. on Dec. 29.
The victim was entering the vestibule area, when one of two offenders struck him in the head with a beer bottle. The offender then struck the victim in the head with the bottom of a silver revolver. He fell to the ground and the offenders then went through his pockets and took his wallet, keys and cell phone.
The two offenders then fled in an unknown direction. The estimated loss is $425.
- A Chicago woman was robbed at the CTA Blue Line ramp in the 800 block of South Oak Park Avenue at 2:45 p.m. on Jan. 5.
The woman was exiting the train on the ramp, when the offender grabbed her and took her iPhone 7 Plus from her hand. The offender then fled in an unknown direction. The estimated loss is $900.
The offender was described as a black man between the ages of 30 and 40, 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-7, 150 to 160 pounds, with a black goatee and wearing a red, white and blue “Gucci” knit hat, a New York Yankees jacket and dark acid-washed jeans.
- An Oak Park resident was robbed at gunpoint in the 100 block of Madison Street at 12:32 p.m. on Jan. 3. The victim was approached by a man between the ages of 26 and 28, who asked for change and a cigarette. The offender then grabbed the victim and displayed a black handgun. He searched through the victim’s pockets and took cash, a debit card and a bank receipt.
The offender was described as a black man, 5-foot-9, 250 pounds, with a black beard and wearing a black zip-up hoodie, black jeans and black Nike shoes.
Burglary
An Oak Park resident’s black and tan Fossil purse was stolen from the driver’s seat of her black 2018 Jeep Cherokee while she was pumping gas in the first block of Harrison Street at 7:17 p.m. on Jan. 5. The estimated loss is $230.
Cellphone stolen
An Oak Park man was the victim of theft in the 900 block of Lake Street at 6:05 p.m. on Jan. 6.
The victim was approached by the offender who asked to use his cellphone to call his mother. The victim agreed and the man took the victim’s iPhone 6 and fled eastbound on Lake Street. The estimated loss is $500.
These items, obtained from the Oak Park and River Forest police departments, came from reports, Dec. 28, 2018 to Jan. 7, 2019, 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 Timothy Inklebarger and Nona Tepper