North Riverside police say they are interviewing a “person of interest” connected to a Nov. 4 vehicle crash on 17th Avenue that left one person severely injured and sparked a manhunt that involved a Cook County Sheriff’s Police bloodhound and shut down the street for hours as police investigated.

Police stated only that the seriously injured victim was a male in his 30s. He was a passenger in a Toyota Corolla that was southbound in the 2300 block of 17th Avenue about 8:40 p.m. 

According to police, the driver of the Corolla, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries, attempted a U-turn on 17th Avenue and was struck by a northbound black Mercedes-Benz, resulting in a rollover.

The computer-aided dispatch report obtained by the Landmark indicated that one person was found unresponsive in the Corolla and at least one person from the Mercedes-Benz was seen fleeing the scene on foot toward 16th Avenue.

In addition to police officers searching the area for the driver of the Mercedes-Benz, police called for the Cook County bloodhound and also for a helicopter with infrared search capability. However, the helicopter remained grounded due to weather.

The computer-aided dispatch record indicates police detained one person in connection with the crash around 9:17 p.m. in North Riverside. 

It is unclear whether or not the person detained at that time is the person of interest police say they are questioning.

A crash reconstruction team from the West Suburban Major Crimes Task Force (WESTAF) was also called to the scene, and the vehicles, both of which sustained heavy damage, were not towed from the scene until about 3:45 a.m. on Nov. 5. Traffic was reopened on 17th Avenue around 4:30 a.m., according to the computer-aided dispatch report. 

Business damaged

Brookfield police responded to Total Staffing Solutions, 9016 47th St. about 1:10 a.m. on Nov. 4 after someone called to report that the front window of the business was smashed.

A police officer reported that most of the plate-glass front window had a large hole in it, apparently caused by someone throwing a rock or brick through it. Police also reported observing shoe prints on the window and on the glass door to the business.

According to the police report, shattered glass littered the floor, table and chairs inside the business. In addition, there was a hole in an interior wall in line with the hole in the window glass.

The rest of the business appeared to be undisturbed.

Bar employee battered

Brookfield police charged a 31-year-old Darien man with battery after he reportedly injured an employee of Ryan’s Public House, 8942 Ogden Ave., by shoving him into the brick outside wall after being confronted about not paying his tab on Nov. 4 around 12:20 a.m.

The employee had called police after the man and four others had been asked to leave the bar and refused to do so. After the employee called police, the man left the bar, followed by the employee who attempted to get him to pay.

Outside, the man allegedly grabbed the employee and “violently” shoved him against the wall. The employee hit his head on the wall, resulting in a head wound that bled profusely, according to police.

Witnesses reportedly corroborated the employee’s account of the incident, while the alleged offender refused to cooperate, police said. In addition to being charged with battery, the man was given a notice to stay away from the business. 

Woman reports being followed

A woman called 911 on Oct. 30 at 10:35 a.m. to report she was being followed by two white cars with tinted windows.

The caller reportedly told police she was driving northbound on First Avenue with one white car ahead of her and one behind her. When she turned onto eastbound 31st Street, the white vehicle in front of her reportedly did a U-turn and pulled behind her.

At that time, the woman called 911 and was directed to stop in front of the North Riverside Police Department at 2359 Desplaines Ave. She told police she’s been followed by two white vehicle before, but has not reported it.

North Riverside police stopped a white vehicle with tinted windows in the 2300 block of Westover Avenue. The driver of that vehicle told police he was looking for apartments and provided the officer with information on the apartments he was looking at in the area.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, Oct. 29-Nov. 4, 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