A Crest Hill man, apparently enraged that he had been cut off by another driver in traffic, has been charged with criminal damage to property after he allegedly threw a drink can at another vehicle, striking it, just after 4 p.m. on June 17.

Riverside police reported that a New Lenox woman, who had just been visiting Brookfield Zoo, was driving her Ford Taurus east on 31st Street and made a right hand turn onto First Avenue on a green light.

At the same time, according to the police report, 27-year-old Luis Mani, in a 1979 Buick, was turning left onto First Avenue from westbound 31st Street, and the two cars almost collided. Mani allegedly threatened the woman, screaming he was “going to kill” her and driving in such a manner as to make the woman think Mani was trying to run her off the road.

As the two cars approached the railroad viaduct on First Avenue, Mani reportedly threw a yellow can at the Ford, leaving a small dent in the rear driver’s side door. Police reported that two 10 year-old-girls were passengers in the victim’s car.

Mani reportedly told police that the woman had cut him off and that she had pointed a gun at him. Police found no sign of a firearm in the victim’s vehicle. Mani was also cited for not having vehicle insurance.

Burglary

A resident of the 4000 block of DuBois Boulevard, Brookfield, reported on June 21 that someone stole a black laptop computer, cordless mouse and iPod from a table by his bed while he slept.

According to the report, the man last saw the computer at 11:30 p.m. on June 20. When he woke up the next morning, the items were no longer on the table.

Robbery

A man selling candy outside Fashion Bug, 2314 Harlem Ave. in North Riverside, told police someone punched him in the mouth and stole $10 and a box of candy from him in a strong-arm robbery on June 20 just after 8 p.m.

The victim said he was approached by a group of five males between the ages of 17 and 21. One of the group walked behind the victim, who turned around to face him. At that time, the offender punched him and grabbed the cash and candy.

The offender was described as a light-skinned black male with braided hair, 17 or 18 years old, 6 feet tall, weighing between 150 and 160 pounds. He was wearing a white T-shirt, black shorts and white shoes.

Car missing, others entered

The owner of a black 1997 Buick Riviera reported stolen in Brookfield on June 17 said that the keys to the vehicle may have been taken from another car parked nearby.

According to the police report, the Buick’s owner parked the vehicle in the 3500 block of Raymond Avenue and left it there while he was out of town. When he returned on the morning of June 17, the car was missing, but the owner believed a family member might be driving it.

When the car was still missing later that day, he talked to a neighbor who said that he had last seen the Buick at 10 p.m. on June 16, but that it was gone by 7 a.m. on June 17.

The victim told police that a set of keys left in his brother’s 1995 Cadillac DeVille, which was parked next to the Buick, was missing. The victim’s brother told police that the glove box and center console of the Cadillac were opened and that someone left two sets of keys on the vehicle’s roof.

Elsewhere on the same block, police observed that three other vehicles had been entered. A debit card was reported missing from one of the three vehicles, while a Panasonic boom box and a DVD were taken from another. Police stated that a radio was missing from the dashboard of the third vehicle, but that the car’s owner stated the radio had been burglarized in Chicago.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments from June 15 through June 21 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.

– Compiled by Bob Uphues