Several police cars were dispatched to the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Unity Temple, 875 Lake St., after a man called in a bomb threat to the Oak Park police department.
At approximately 10:50 p.m., Oct. 9, Oak Park police received a call to its non-emergency number from an unknown subject who advised he had planted a bomb in the church and that he wanted the United States military to surrender, according to Detective Sergeant Angelo Episcopo.
Upon inspection of church premises, police found no explosive devices and the church unoccupied. The Unity Temple building manager also found no explosives. Leading the police to determine the threat had not been “bona fide.”
When asked if any apprehensions had been made, Episcopo stated, “The case is still under investigation.”
Vehicular hijacking
Two Chicago juvenile males, one with his hand under his shirt, approached the victim under the pretense of asking for directions, and demanded the victim’s property; when the victim went to a nearby store to call the police, the juveniles took the victim’s car at 5:32 p.m., Oct. 5 in the 800 block of South Oak Park Avenue. Responding police officers found the two offenders based on a clothing description given by the victim on the CTA Blue Line platform. Following positive identification by the victim, the two boys were arrested. The vehicle was found in the parking lot where the incident happened.
Burglary
- Someone broke the lock to a storage shed and removed a power washer, hedge trimmer and weed whacker between 2:30 a.m. and 2:50 a.m., Oct. 7 in the 100 block of Madison Street. The estimated loss is $300.
- Someone pried open the window of a van, reached inside to punch out the rear lock and then removed seven drills and one Bosch jig saw from the vehicle between 3 p.m., Oct. 5 and 7:48 a.m., Oct. 6 in the 200 block of South Humphrey Avenue. Estimated loss is $2,150.
- A black Chrome laptop computer was taken out of an unlocked vehicle parked in the 900 block of North Harvey Avenue between 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., Oct. 5. Estimated loss is $355.
- Someone broke into a vehicle and removed a bottle of cologne, an Uber window decal and medication between 6:30 p.m., Oct. 9 and 2:30 p.m., Oct. 10 in the 800 block of North Boulevard. The estimated loss is $40.
- Someone took insurance paperwork, a box of medical supplies and blankets out of an unlocked automobile parked in the 100 block of South Boulevard between noon, Oct. 6 and 10:20 a.m., Oct 7. An estimated loss of $40.
Attempted burglary
A man attempted to break into a residence by climbing on top of an air conditioner to enter through the home’s second story but was witnessed by the resident at 1:37 a.m., Oct. 7 in the 1100 block of Wenonah Avenue. The offender, who did not gain entry into the home, was last seen running to the front of the house.
Motor vehicle theft
A blue 2016 Toyota Camry was removed from the 100 block of Forest Avenue between 10 p.m., Oct. 9 and 1 p.m., Oct. 10. Estimated loss is $24,000.
Theft
An unattended black and red Haro mountain bike was removed from the first block of Lake Street at 2 p.m., Oct. 9. The estimated loss is $300.
Criminal damage to property
A man threw a brick at the glass window of BP gas station, 7140 Roosevelt Rd., scratching the window, after the store clerk refused to accept a return on an item at 12:01 a.m., Oct. 9. The man was last seen running southeast. Estimated damage is $500.
These items, obtained from the Oak Park Police Department, came from reports Oct. 5 – Oct. 12 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 Stacey Sheridan
