A 23-year-old Brookfield man reportedly was jumped by 4-5 men and robbed of his wallet, cellphone and house keys as he walked in the 3100 block of Prairie Avenue on Oct. 2 between 4 and 4:30 a.m.
Police responded to the block after someone called 911 to report a fight between several subjects. One of the subjects, the caller said, was left lying in some bushes.
Police located the victim, who was walking “in a disoriented state” southbound on Prairie Avenue. The victim told police he was walking home from a friend’s house when a black SUV pulled up alongside him.
A male subject exited and, without a word, punched the victim in the face several times, according to the police report. Another four or five subjects joined in the beating as the victim fell to the ground, kicking him in the chest and abdomen.
Paramedics transported the victim to Loyola University Medical Center for treatment. The victim was unable to give police a complete description of any of the offenders. The man who exited the SUV was about 5-foot-9 with a thin build and wearing a light-colored shirt.
Burglary
A resident of an apartment building in the 9100 block of Cermak Road, North Riverside, called police on Sept. 26 to report that, sometime between 5 a.m. and 8 p.m., someone entered the apartment and rummaged through dresser drawers in two bedrooms.
Police reported observing several pry marks on the front door of the residence, which had not been dead-bolted. Nothing was reported missing from the apartment, and police noted that an iPad, laptop computer and videogame system all remained in plain view and untouched inside the apartment.
Officers also reported that an unsuccessful attempt had been made to pry open the door of another apartment inside the building. Pry marks were also found on both the east and west public access doors to the building.
Brookfield police responded to a residence in the 4600 block of Deyo Avenue on Sept. 26 after a homeowner returned from work about 6:30 p.m. and found tools missing from his garage.
The homeowner surmised the offender gained access through a window, which had been removed from the opening where it had been placed. A lock on a cabinet inside the garage was also damaged, according to the police report.
The last time the homeowner saw the garage undisturbed was the evening of Sept. 25, police said.
A resident of the 4500 block of Deyo Avenue, Brookfield, contacted police on Sept. 30 to report that a spray gun for painting cars had been removed from his garage overnight.
The victim told police he’d been using the paint gun on Sept. 29 and that he left the side service door open so the garage could air out overnight.
A resident of the 4100 block of Forest Avenue, Brookfield, called police to report that overnight on Sept. 25-26, someone entered her unlocked vehicle and rifled through the glove box and center console. Nothing of value was reported missing.
Catalytic converter thefts
Catalytic converter thieves hit Brookfield’s south end over the weekend, with four vehicles targeted overnight on Oct. 1-2.
Two of the vehicles were parked in the 3900 block of Elm Avenue and one was parked in the 4000 block of Sunnyside Avenue.
Meanwhile, at 6 a.m. on Oct. 2, a resident of the 4200 block of Vernon Avenue told police he was sleeping when he heard what sounded like a power tool being used outside. He looked out the window and saw a silver or white vehicle with its trunk open parked next to the vehicle, which was parked on the street.
The victim’s vehicle appeared to be shaking and then he heard a metallic clang, as if some object fell onto the pavement. The victim called out to a subject standing next to his car and then ran to get his phone to get a photo. It’s unclear whether the victim was able to get a picture of the offender or vehicle before it left the area.
Hit and run
Riverside police charged a 35-year-old Brookfield man with leaving the scene of a crash after his 1997 Plymouth van allegedly rear-ended a Chevy being driven by a 35-year-old North Riverside woman at the intersection of First Avenue and 31st Street on Sept. 28 about 8:15 p.m.
The driver of the van reportedly told police he panicked, did a U-turn and fled the scene after the crash. The driver of the Chevy, which was stopped at a red light, was treated at the hospital for neck and back pain. A passenger was uninjured.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 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
