A North Riverside police officer standing outside a squad car while interviewing a DUI suspect came “within inches” of being struck by a second vehicle, also driven by an alleged drunk driver, on Aug. 15 just after 3 a.m.

The officer had arrived on the scene on First Avenue just south of I-290 in Forest Park to back up another officer who’d pulled over a 26-year-old Chicago woman for aggravated speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol.

Police placed the woman in the back seat of the backup officer’s vehicle, and the backup officer was attempting to obtain the woman’s driver’s license when a 2016 Chevy Malibu driven by a 26-year-old Franklin Park man struck the rear driver’s side door of the backup officer’s squad car, missing the officer by a matter of inches, according to the police report.

The Chevy continued on its way northbound into Maywood, but a third police officer responding to the scene was able to pull that car over at Legion Street. The Chevy driver’s blood-alcohol content reportedly was .112, higher than the legal limit of .08, about an hour and a half after he was arrested.

He was charged with DUI and cited for leaving the scene of an accident, failure to yield and improper lane usage.

The woman arrested and charged for the initial DUI was also cited for aggravated speeding, fleeing and eluding, failure to yield and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

According to the police report, an officer on patrol clocked her black Nissan at 62 mph in a 35 mph zone while northbound on First Avenue from Golfview Avenue. The woman reportedly failed to pull over until she was past Roosevelt Road and only after the Nissan collided with the squad car, which had pulled up alongside it.

The woman’s blood-alcohol content almost two hours after being pulled over was reportedly .146, or nearly two times the legal limit.

 

Burglary

A resident of the 7800 block of 26th Street, North Riverside, contacted police on Aug. 9 to report that someone had broken into her home between Aug. 6-8 and removed a PlayStation 4 Pro videogame console, a gaming laptop, an Acer laptop, a bicycle and a portable dishwasher.

The victim told police the apartment door was not dead-bolted but was locked. Police reported that the apartment’s front door had been visibly damaged. The victim also said the apartment building is left unlocked and anyone can gain access.

A resident of the 3800 block of Morton Avenue, Brookfield, contacted police on the morning of Aug. 16 to report that someone had stolen two Diamondback mountain bikes from his garage overnight.

The offender(s) apparently gained entry to the garage through an unlocked side service door.

Brookfield police responded to an apartment in the 3800 block of Cleveland Avenue on the morning of Aug. 16 after a homeowner called to report that someone had entered his garage and stole a Dewalt grass trimmer and two extra batteries.

It’s unstated whether the garage’s side service door was unlocked, but the police report doesn’t mention any signs of forced entry.

Police responded to the 3500 block of Madison Avenue, Brookfield, on the afternoon of Aug. 16 after a homeowner called to report that he’d returned home from vacation to find all of the window screens to his residence pushed open about halfway and that two had been bent back, as if someone had tried to break into the house.

Police also observed that a landscaping light had been knocked down and a planter removed from the front window area. No entry apparently had been gained to the home.

 

Vehicle break-ins

North Riverside police responded to the 2200 block of 17th Avenue Aug. 10 after a resident called to report that sometime likely during the overnight hours, someone entered her unlocked vehicle, which was parked on the street, and removed Nike gym shoes, identification, a credit card and $15 in cash.

A resident of the 9400 block of Jefferson Avenue, Brookfield, called police on the morning of Aug. 13 to report that his work van, which was parked behind his garage in the alley, had been broken into overnight.

The victim told police that when he came outside to go to work, he observed the driver’s side window smashed out and the interior ransacked. The only thing missing from the van appeared to be some loose change.

 

Fisherman’s bike heisted

A 13-year-old Brookfield boy went to police on Aug. 14 to report that while he was fishing along the banks of Salt Creek under the Washington Avenue bridge, someone stole his bicycle.

The boy had been fishing with two friends at about 3 p.m. when someone informed them that someone had just made off with one of the three bikes left on top of the riverbank. 

The bike, valued at about $350, was a gray Nishiki brand with orange and blue stripes

 

Upset at not being allowed entry

North Riverside police responded to BMO Harris Bank, 9101 Cermak Road, on Aug. 13 at 3 p.m. after an employee called to report an unruly customer allegedly had implied a threat against her.

The employee said the customer attempted to enter the bank, which has restricted access due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Asked if he had traveled out of state recently, the man reportedly answered that he had just returned from Florida and wanted to withdraw some money.

When told he could not enter the bank building, the customer reportedly began yelling and kicking and punching the entrance door. He then reportedly told the employee he “would be back for her” before leaving the area.

 

Sanitizer fire

North Riverside police responded to Komarek School, 8940 24th St., on Aug. 13 after receiving a report of a fence on fire at about 9:15 p.m.

A juvenile who called police said he was playing with his friends on school property when he noticed a small, circular flame burning near the fence in the northwest corner of the playground.

Firefighters extinguished the fire after observing an empty bottle of hand sanitizer next to flame. They concluded the fire was set intentionally. It caused no damage. Police did recover security video, but it was reportedly too dark to identify a suspect.

 

Man causing disturbance wanted on a warrant

Riverside police charged a 49-year-old Palos Hills man with possession of a controlled substance after arresting him on Aug. 13 at about 10:10 p.m. for allegedly causing a disturbance in the 400 block of Longcommon Road.

According to the police report, the apparently intoxicated man was standing in the middle of the street, “screaming and yelling.” Police arrived and told the man to stop yelling and later determined he was wanted on a warrant out of Lake County, Indiana.

After arresting him on the warrant, police also reported finding two plastic bags containing about 2 grams of cocaine in the man’s right pants pocket.

 

Aggravated speeding

North Riverside police charged a 21-year-old Berwyn woman with aggravated speeding, driving on a suspended license and one other offense after an officer stopped her for driving her black Mercedes-Benz E350 at 70 mph an hour in a 35 mph zone while eastbound in the 7500 block of Cermak Road on Aug. 9 at about 12:50 a.m.

During the traffic stop, police reported finding an open bottle of rum in a purse on the front passenger seat in addition to a small amount of cannabis wax and cannabis-related paraphernalia. The driver was also cited for illegal transportation of open alcohol.

 

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, Aug. 9-16, 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