What started as a garage burglary in Forest Park became a vehicle pursuit into Oak Park where three cars were hit by the fleeing suspect, one of which had the driver still in the front seat.
On Sept. 8, around 12:30 p.m., Forest Park police responded to an in-progress garage burglary on Circle Avenue according to the police report.
The person was described as a man in a yellow utility vest, and the resident of the home, using a NEST security camera, saw the car back into the garage. The resident began yelling through the camera and contacted a neighbor about the incident.
The neighbor then confronted the alleged burglar in the garage while he was taking things from shelves and then left through the alley. The witness reported seeing a woman in the front seat of the car as well, and the only reported item stolen was a snowblower.
According to the report, Forest Park police units saw the car at Harlem Avenue and Jackson Boulevard. Police attempted to curb the car but did not succeed and continued to pursue. The pursuit went into Oak Park where three cars were struck and the fleeing car got away.
The car crashes were within Oak Park’s jurisdiction, so the Oak Park Police Department responded. According to the Village of Oak Park, the fleeing car sideswiped one car which caused them to hit another parked on the opposite side of the 100 block of South Grove Avenue.
As the pursuit continued, the fleeing car allegedly hit another car near South Boulevard and Oak Park Avenue, but the owner declined completion of a report.
The supplemental report on the pursuit is not available from the Forest Park Police Department as it is a continuing investigation, however, Wednesday Journal interviewed the driver of one of the struck cars for a first-hand account. We are withholding the name of that person for reasons of privacy.
According to the driver, the back bumper of their car briefly pinned the offending vehicle before they were able to drive past and police cars followed. A witness to the event was able to help the driver out of the car and to contact family and police.
The driver, who was trying to look for parking on South Grove Avenue when struck, described the “scary experience” sharing they “couldn’t speak, and I was very shaken up.”
They shared their surprise and frustration with the police pursuit as they felt the narrow street conditions and high speed made for reckless conditions.
“I don’t know how fast they were going, but they were driving very recklessly through a huge part of town, and luckily, all the kids were in school, and nobody that I know of was seriously hurt,” said the driver. “But that’s all I keep going back to, is this should never have happened, and if this ever happens again, a kid or somebody, could get killed or seriously hurt.”
Garage burglary is a forcible felony which is grounds to initiate a police pursuit, according to Forest Park Police Department policy.