Two men wearing masks reportedly attempted to hijack a vehicle occupied by a woman and her 6-year-old grandson as they ate their food in the parking lot next to Chik-fil-A, 7201 Cermak Road in North Riverside, on May 15 at about 1:45 p.m.

According to the police report, the two were eating inside the vehicle when a man suddenly appeared at the driver’s side door and told the woman to get out of the car because he wanted it.

As the woman yelled no, a second man opened the passenger side front door and was partially inside the car when she started the engine and reversed the vehicle, knocking the second man to the ground.

She then drove south, exited onto Harlem Avenue and then called police from the parking lot of another nearby business. Police were unable to locate any suspects in the area.

 

Woman injured in dog attack

A 30-year-old Brookfield woman was taken to an area hospital for treatment after a German shepherd broke free of its collar on the afternoon of May 15 and bit the woman on the arm as she tried to shield her own dog from the attack.

The victim and another woman were walking their dog eastbound on Washington Avenue approaching Oak Avenue at about 3:25 p.m. when they saw someone walking a German shepherd westbound toward them.

The couple crossed the street, but the German shepherd was able to break free its collar and ran toward the couple’s dog. The victim scooped up the dog to protect it, and the German shepherd reportedly lunged at the woman, biting her arm and causing a deep wound.

The German shepherd’s owner was able to corral the dog shortly afterward. Police cited her for the dog bite.

 

Riverside vehicle break-ins

A resident of the 300 block of Eastgrove Road, Riverside, contacted police last week to report that sometime between 10 and 11 a.m. on May 11 someone entered her unlocked vehicle, which was parked in front of the garage at the rear of the property, and removed her purse from the back seat.

Among the items taken along with the purse were an iPhone and two credit cards.

A Burr Ridge woman contacted Riverside police last week to report that sometime between 8 and 10 p.m. on May 15, someone broke into her vehicle, which was parked in front of a home in the 100 block of Southcote Road.

The victim told police she left her vehicle unlocked. A neighbor later found the victim’s wallet on her front lawn. A gift card and $80 in cash were missing from the wallet. Nothing else was reported missing from the vehicle.

 

Catalytic converters stolen

North Riverside police responded to Zeigler Ford, 2100 Harlem Ave. on May 12 after the manager called to report that sometime overnight, the catalytic converters had been cut from 14 vehicles on the lot.

All of the vehicles, described as 2020 Ford Transit vans, had been parked in the northwest corner of the car dealership property. Police reported that one catalytic converter was found lying on the ground nearby.

Brookfield police responded to the 9300 block of Monroe Avenue on May 18 at about 5:35 a.m. after a resident reported that the catalytic converter had just been sawn from the underside of his vehicle, which was parked on the street.

The victim said that he heard what sounded like an electric saw and looked out the window of his home to see a black sedan parked next to his vehicle. One man served as a lookout while a second was underneath the driver’s side of the vehicle, cutting the catalytic converter off.

The two men then entered the sedan and drive off. It was the second time the victim had a catalytic converter stolen, according to police.

 

Burglary/attempted burglary

Brookfield police responded to a home in the 4000 block of Prairie Avenue on May 14 after a resident called to report her house had been burglarized.

The victim told police she was in the backyard gardening at 2 p.m. When she went back inside the house at 3 p.m., she noticed that the front door was unlocked and that several items were missing, including her wallet and a jewelry stand from the dining room and a lock box from her bedroom dresser.

A resident of the 2300 block of 9th Avenue, North Riverside, called police on May 12 to report that someone had tried unsuccessfully to break into her garage.

The victim told police she was about to water her lawn when she went to the garage and noticed two pry marks on the trim of the garage’s side service door, which was locked.

No entry had been made and nothing inside the garage appeared to be disturbed. The door frame, however had sustained damage and the victim had difficulty inserting the key into the lock to open it. The victim said she had not been inside the garage in about a week.

 

More bus shelters smashed

A bus shelter smashing spree that’s been ongoing for the better part of a month in North Riverside continued last week.

During the early morning hours of May 15, an officer on patrol reported that the front glass panel of the Pace bus shelter in the 1800 block of Harlem Avenue near Aldi was shattered.

Police subsequently learned that a glass panel also had been shattered at the bus stop at 16th Street and Harlem Avenue. According to police, the damaged occurred sometime between 3:47 and 4:23 a.m.

 

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, May 11-18, 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.