Police swarmed the area south of Riverside-Brookfield High School on the night of Oct. 11, and apprehended a 30-year-old Lyons man suspected of stealing a car in Countryside after he crashed it in Riverside and attempted to flee the scene on foot.

According to police, the alleged driver of the stolen vehicle was attempting to flee a LaGrange officer who had spotted the vehicle and had tried to stop it. The vehicle, a silver Mercedes, apparently turned onto Parkview Avenue from First Avenue where the driver lost control and hit the curb, disabling the vehicle at about 6:30 p.m.

Witnesses told police that the driver fled west on foot and officers set up a perimeter. They also called in a helicopter to assist with the search. A North Riverside police officer reported apprehending the suspect east of First Avenue in Riverside, near Parkview and Forest avenues.

LaGrange police ended up charging the man with fleeing and eluding police. According to Riverside police, additional charges may be brought by the Cook County State’s Attorney.

Warrant arrest

A Riverside man charged in January with harboring a juvenile runaway and booked again last month in Cleveland after allegedly being found in a hotel in the company of the same girl was picked up by Chicago police on Oct. 10.

Juan C. Ocampo, 39, was arrested in the early morning hours of Oct. 10 for allegedly urinating in an alley between two parked cars just south of 53 W. Division St. in Chicago. While making that arrest, Chicago police learned Ocampo was wanted on a warrant out of Riverside for failing to appear in court last month for a hearing related to the January arrest.

In August, Ocampo was charged with obstructing justice and interference with custody after he was reportedly found in the company of a 17-year-old girl in a Cleveland hotel. In January, Ocampo was charged by Riverside police with harboring the same girl, who had run away from home and had been reported missing for weeks.

Ocampo is free on bond, and both cases remain pending. He is scheduled to appear in Cleveland Municipal Court again on Oct. 21.

Restaurant customer allegedly punches server

North Riverside police charged a 22-year-old Chicago man with battery after he allegedly punched a female server at Famous Dave’s, 7201 25th St., on Oct. 8 after she refused a request for more food after the party had closed out its tab.

The server had already packed a to-go order for the party of four at the end of the meal, but the alleged offender then requested another refill of an all-you-can-eat special, which the server declined per restaurant policy.

The customer allegedly became irate and punched the server in the face.

Rash of car break-ins in Brookfield

A Brookfield police officer on patrol at about 4:20 a.m. on Oct. 7 observed a vehicle parked on the street in the 4200 block of DuBois Boulevard with its passenger side door ajar and items strewn about the interior.

That was one of six vehicles, all apparently unlocked, that were targeted by someone walking down the 4100 to 4300 blocks of DuBois Boulevard during the early morning hours Oct. 7.

None of the vehicles targeted exhibited signs of forced entry. Among the items removed from the vehicles were gift cards and a wallet containing ID and credit cards.

Garage burglary 

A resident of the 500 block of Selborne Road, Riverside contacted police to report that an older blue Raleigh 10-speed bicycle was stolen from his unlocked garage, probably overnight on Oct. 8-9. 

On the latter date, the victim said he found a flashlight that did not belong to him in his yard, but he did not notice that the bike was gone until Oct. 11.

A resident of the 2500 block of  9th Avenue, North Riverside, called police on Oct. 5 to report that someone tried forcing open the service door to his garage earlier that day.

The resident told police that at about 2:30 a.m. he heard a loud bang coming from his backyard, but that he didn’t see anyone. Later that day he went to enter his garage and noticed the lower steel kick plate on door was damaged. There were also pry marks on the door. However, no one appeared to gain entry.

Auto theft

A resident of the 8800 block of 24th Street, North Riverside, called police on the morning of Oct. 7 to report that during the overnight hours someone stole her blue 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe, which was parked in the street in front of the house.

According to the victim, the vehicle had been locked and the keys were not inside.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, Oct. 5-11, 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