Oak Park police are investigating after hundreds of thousands of dollars flew out onto the street when the back door of an armored truck came open, according to police activity reports.
The truck was traveling south bound on Austin Boulevard shortly after 5 p.m. April 22 near its intersection with Jackson Boulevard when its “backdoor opened by unknown means and three bags full of United States currency fell out,” according to the police report.
When the representative from the truck company contacted police, he said that he’d observed “50 to 100” people picking up money from the scene, according to police.
The estimated loss from the incident was $300,000, according to police.
Assault and battery arrests
Oak Park police made arrests in connection with several violent incidents over the last week.
A 67-year-old Oak Park man was arrested on assault charges in connection with an incident that happened in July 2024. The man was arrested after police responded to an animal complaint against him, and learned he had been reported for assault, according to police.
Oak Park police arrested a 24-year-old Chicago woman on aggravated battery charges on April 25, according to police. The woman had reportedly punched an Oak Park resident repeatedly in the face before slamming the victim’s head into the curb of the sidewalk, according to police.
On April 23, police arrested a female juvenile on charges of aggravated domestic battery, according to police.
Firearm investigation
Oak Park police are investigating a report of aggravated unlawful firearm use at a gas station on April 27. A man reportedly threatened a village of Streamwood resident with a firearm during an argument over a parking spot before fleeing the scene in a white pickup truck, according to police.
Art theft
On April 22, a woman reportedly stole a painting of flowers from an Oak Park store valued at more than $1,000, according to police. The woman removed the painting from the wall and left without paying, according to police.
These items were obtained from Oak Park Police Department reports dated April 22-April 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 a description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.