North Riverside police reported three one vehicle thefts on Oct. 20 and two more on Oct. 21 with a fourth vehicle likely the target of an unsuccessful theft Oct. 21.
Officers responded to 7222 Cermak Road on Oct. 20 at about 5:25 p.m. after an employee of Pearle Vision called to report that his red 2021 Kia Forte had been stolen from the parking lot sometime after 9:50 a.m.
Police observed broken glass on the ground where the car had been parked. License plate reader cameras captured video of the vehicle traveling northbound on Harlem Avenue at Roosevelt Road at 5:27 p.m. The vehicle had a broken rear passenger window.
On Oct. 21 at about 7 p.m., police once again were called to 7222 Cermak Road by an employee of Binny’s Beverage Depot who had parked his white Hyundai Sonata in the west lot at that address.
A 9 mm Smith & Wesson handgun was locked in the glove box of the vehicle, the victim told police.
Just about 45 minutes earlier, at about 6:15 p.m., North Riverside had responded to Zeigler Ford, 2100 Harlem Ave. for a report of a possible attempted vehicle theft. An employee told police that a few minutes earlier a maroon Kia entered the dealership’s south parking lot and pulled up to a Kia SUV belonging to the dealership.
At least two people exited the sedan and tried to break into the SUV, breaking out the passenger side rear window before employees confronted them. The Kia sedan was last seen speeding southbound on Harlem Avenue. The offenders’ Kia sedan had its passenger side rear window broken out and covered by a plastic trash bag, police said.
Finally, police were called to the east food court parking lot of North Riverside Park Mall, 7501 Cermak Road, at about 10:20 p.m. by someone who reported that while she was inside the movie theater, someone stole her white Kia.
The victim parked the vehicle in the lot at about 8:05 p.m. When she returned a little more than two hours later, the car was gone and broken glass lay near where her car had been parked.
Security camera video showed that the vehicle was stolen around 8:40 p.m. The vehicle is seen leaving the parking lot southbound along with a dark colored sedan.
Multiple vehicle burglaries in Brookfield
Brookfield police reported a wave of break-ins between Oct. 19 and Oct. 24, all of which involved someone breaking out the window of a locked vehicle and nearly all of them taking place south of the BNSF railroad tracks.
Not all of the break-ins resulted in items being stolen, but police believe the intent likely was burglary.
Four incidents were reported on the morning of Oct. 19. During the overnight hours, someone smashed out the windows of two vehicles parked in the 8800 block of 45th Place, one in the 4600 block of Raymond Avenue and one in the 9100 block of Sahler Avenue.
A bag containing credit cards, a checkbook and other items was taken from one of the vehicles on 45th Place. The offender reportedly used two of the credit cards at a gas station, making purchases totaling about $175.
On Oct. 21, 23 and 24 residents of the 3700 block of Raymond Avenue, the 4600 block of Grove Avenue and the 3800 block of Morton Avenue reported similar incidents. In one instance, a victim reported hearing the sound of smashing glass at about 4:30 a.m. and looked out the window to see someone exiting the rear passenger door of a vehicle.
Anti-LGBTQ+ posters taped to church door
Brookfield police are investigating a suspicious incident at a local church, saying it could be connected to a similar incident reported last week at a church in LaGrange.
On the morning of Oct. 18, a representative of Holy Covenant Metropolitan Church, 9145 Grant Ave., called to report that two posters disparaging and condemning homosexuality had been taped to a church entrance overnight on Oct. 16-17.
The action was not captured on security camera video, but LaGrange police notified Brookfield that a similar incident had taken place in that village, and that police were attempting to identify two suspects.
Road rage incident
Brookfield police charged a 49-year-old Chicago man with battery after he allegedly slapped a 16-year-old Brookfield boy during a road rage incident on the afternoon of Oct. 17 at the intersection of Park and Jackson avenues.
According to the police report, the victim was skateboarding and had yelled at the driver of a silver Mercedes-Benz, which he felt was traveling too fast as it passed him. The driver of the Mercedes-Benz stopped at the intersection, exited his car and confronted the boy, who reportedly started yelling at him.
At that time, the Chicago man allegedly slapped the boy in the face, shoved him and displayed a handgun he had in a holster on his hip. The man reportedly told police he felt threatened by the boy and believed he would damage his car with the skateboard. He also denied displaying the handgun, but police noted that he was armed with the 9 mm subcompact Springfield XD.
Crash into light pole
A 31-year-old Countryside woman who crashed her Honda into a light pole and traffic signal on the median at Desplaines Avenue and 31st street in Riverside on Oct. 16 at about 4:30 a.m. told police she was southbound on Desplaines Avenue when she reached over to grab her cellphone, causing her to lose control of the vehicle.
The driver, who was alone in the vehicle, was taken by paramedics to Loyola University Medical Center, where she was treated for minor injuries. Police said the driver was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash.
She was cited for improper use of an electronic device, damage to village property and other traffic offenses.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, Oct. 17-24, 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
