A Chicago man accused last year of being drunk behind the wheel of a car and intentionally running down a bicyclist in Brookfield pleaded guilty to two felony charges Tuesday as part of a deal with county prosecutors.
Armando Reza, 18, pleaded guilty to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated driving under the influence in front of Judge Carol Kipperman at the Maybrook courthouse. She sentenced Reza to time he already served in Cook County Jail and two years’ probation, according to a spokeswoman for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office.
A second man involved in the case, 20-year-old Erik Fabian, of Chicago, was scheduled to appear in court yesterday after press time. It was unknown if Fabian intended on pleading guilty as well. The court hearing had been slated for Monday, but was continued.
Brookfield police charged that on May 31, 2009, Reza and Fabian were driving through the village in a white 2005 Monte Carlo just before 7 a.m. A 51-year-old Oak Park man told police he was on his bicycle, riding westbound in the 9200 block of Washington Avenue when he was struck from behind by the Monte Carlo.
The victim was thrown from his bike and skidded 10 feet in the street, receiving a nasty case of road rash. Before he was taken to Loyola University Medical Center, the man was able to give police a partial license plate number.
About 15 minutes later, Brookfield police received a call that another man had been struck by a white vehicle in the vicinity of 31st Street and Maple Avenue. The cyclist, a 33-year-old Brookfield man who was not seriously injured, was able to call police and described Fabian, who was in the passenger seat.
A LaGrange Park police officer stopped the vehicle at a gas station at 31st Street and LaGrange Road. Reza was identified as the driver. Police later determined that Reza’s blood-alcohol level was .158, or twice the legal limit.
Police also alleged that Fabian was driving the car when it struck the Oak Park man. He and Reza then switched seats so Reza could hit another cyclist, according to police.
Rash of car burglaries
North Riverside police reported a spree of burglaries to vehicles last week, with five such incidents coming on one day. Similarly, Brookfield reported two burglaries to vehicles last week.
In North Riverside, the break-ins were mainly committed during the overnight hours of June 13 and 14.
Someone entered a Toyota van parked in the driveway of a home in the 2200 block of 15th Avenue and stole a box of Harris Bank personal checks, a global positioning system unit and 15 compact discs.
An unknown person also entered an unlocked Jeep parked in the 2200 block of 14th Avenue and removed the car stereo from the dashboard and rifled through the glove box.
A 2005 Chevy Malibu parked in the 2200 block of 17th Avenue was ransacked and about 30 CDs were taken, along with two bags containing clothes. A bag of clothes and papers from this incident was found at the site of the 15th Avenue burglary.
Also on June 14, the owner of a 2002 Hyundai accent reported that while his vehicle was parked in the lot by Burlington Coat Factory, 2208 Harlem Ave., someone smashed the driver’s side vent window to gain entry and stole a portable DVD player and connection cables.
Finally, a service manager at Castle Buick, 7400 Cermak Road, reported on June 15 that some time in the previous week, someone stole the stereo system and other items from a silver 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix parked at the rear of the building. Police reported finding pry marks above the driver’s side door and door frame.
In Brookfield, police reported that someone entered an unlocked 2008 Chevy Trail Blazer parked behind a residence in the 3400 block of Madison Avenue around 10 p.m. and stole a satellite radio and ransacked the interior of the SUV.
Several minutes prior to that call, Brookfield police responded to a call in the 3600 block of Blanchan Avenue. In that incident, a resident told police he chased away a male subject whom he found inside his unlocked 1998 Jeep Cherokee. The subject was described as approximately 20 to 30 years old man. He was short and stocky with long hair, according to police.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments from June 15 to June 20 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
