Two masked men rob motel at gunpoint
At 2:42 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 27, two male robbers burst into the Lakeside Motel, 5440 N. Sheridan Rd. Both wore black face masks; one carried a blue steel handgun. The night clerk was rushed into the office and told to lie face down on the floor with his hands behind his back; he was handcuffed. The robbers, who were ransacking the drawers, asked him where the money was and he told them. They took $100 from the night clerk and $565 from the motel.
Surveillance cameras revealed that both offenders wore gloves. One had a pink shirt and a white stocking cap. The other had a blue jean jacket and a white baseball cap. Both men were black.
Police inventoried the silver handcuffs.
Districts 19 and 20
Opportunity for burglary
A burglar struck in the 1400 block of W. Edgewater Ave. while the residents were away on vacation for the long Thanksgiving weekend. Their two large dogs were in a kennel at the time. The residents returned to find the window adjacent to the front porch open and the front door slightly ajar. The DVD player was missing, drawers were opened, and some jewelry, including an antique emerald ring, was gone. A complete inventory was postponed until an evidence technician was summoned to take prints.
Theft from car
A minister parked his ’93 Honda in the 4900 block of N. Hamilton Ave. at 8 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 28. He returned to the car at 2:15 p.m. to discover one window shattered. The Pioneer radio/CD player, as well as miscellaneous CDs, had been taken.
Theft from locker
At 5 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 27, a waiter placed his belongings in a locker at a bath house in the 5000 block of N. Clark St. He returned to find everything gone: IDs, driver’s license, credit cards, clothing and car keys.
Stolen car
On Saturday, Nov. 27, a man parked his blue and white ’95 Ford Aspire two-door hatchback in the 5500 block of N. Rockwell St. He returned the following day to find an empty spot.
Financial identity theft
A resident of the 4900 block of N. Leavitt St. on Dec. 1 went to the 20th District station to report that some unknown offender has been using her Visa/ debit card to make unauthorized purchases. Six charges totaled about $920. The account has now been canceled.
Stolen: $11,00 in goods
Between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1, someone broke and then opened the side window of a house in the 5000 block of N. Wolcott Ave. The resident found both the upstairs and downstairs ransacked, with a TV thrown upon the floor. Motorcycle keys were taken but the motorcycle was left in the garage. Gone were four men’s wristwatches (Corum, Rolex, Seiko, LaSalle) worth an estimated $10,000; a Panasonic DVD burner/recorder player, a VCR and amplifier, worth $800. Numerous pieces of women’s jewelry were discovered dropped in the back yard. An evidence technician dusted the glass-front entertainment center and one dresser for fingerprints.
Theft over $300
According to police reports, a man in the 5200 block of N. Winthrop Ave. was the victim of a theft by his so-called girlfriend at 10:25 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1. While he was on the phone, the woman motioned that she was leaving and then left the apartment. He checked the pocket of his pants—which were hanging on a chair—for his rent money. The victim discovered his money ($450) was gone. Police toured the area with negative results.
Shoplifting beef
According to police reports, at 1:05 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1, a man shoplifted from Jewel, 5518 N. Clark St. He took seven packages of rib-eye steaks ($69.98), placed them under his coat and walked past the last point of sale. The security guard detained him until police arrived.
Left unguarded
A woman was pumping gas into her red ’96 Ford Explorer at a gas station in the 5200 block of N. Broadway at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 23. She returned to her car to find the door ajar and her purse missing. The purse was red with a white cat on it and contained $70, a credit card, a checkbook and a planner.
Stolen vehicle
A dark blue ’91 Toyota Camry, parked legally in the 2300 block of W. Ainslie St., disappeared between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 26.
Electronics & jewelry
A burglary in the 1000 block of W. Berwyn Ave. during the day Monday, Nov. 22, consisted of electronics and jewelry. The front door was pried open and the drawers were pulled out. Taken were one Compaq laptop ($1,300), one tennis bracelet ($1,000), pearl earrings and a silver cross necklace.
Recurring problem
A city sticker and a license plate sticker were removed from a car parked in the 1800 block of W. Winona sometime Nov. 6-22. The vent window was broken by the offender.
Team of robbers
A request for spare change turned into a three-offender armed robbery early Sunday, Nov. 28, in the 1700 block of W. Foster Ave. A welder was pulling out of a gas station at 2:45 a.m. when a white male, 18 and dressed in a long white jacket, approached his car with a white can asking for money. As the victim began rummaging for change, he noticed the second offender, a black man 45-50, approaching on a bike. The older offender came to the window of the car, grabbed the victim’s jacket and put a gun to his neck. He said, “Give me all you got...I know you have money. I’m gonna shoot you.” The victim surrendered his wallet containing $300, credit cards and driver’s license. The two men fled across the street with a third offender, a black female, 30, wearing red pants. They discarded the bike and jumped into a white Saturn to get away.
Unpleasant awakening
A Wisconsin man drinking on N. Clark St. on Friday, Nov. 26, decided to rent a room at Mans Country Bath House, 5015 N. Clark St., for the night. He woke up to find his door ajar and his pants missing. He located his pants in the hallway but several items were missing from the pockets: a wallet with credit cards, a checkbook, a cell phone, house keys and car keys. He went outside and found his car, a white 2003 Mitsubishi four-door, stolen.
Districts 23 and 18
Stolen plate
Someone stole the license plate from a moped parked in the 4500 block of N. Malden St. Nov. 20-Dec. 2.
Armed robbery by neighbor
According to police reports, a retired man entered his resident hotel in the 3800 block of N. Broadway at 9 p.m. Monday, Nov. 29. He rode the elevator up to his floor and exited, observing his 36-year-old neighbor standing with a 20-year-old man. As the retired man opened the door to his own apartment, the two offenders came from behind.
The neighbor pushed him to the floor, pulled a knife from his pocket, and told the man to sit down. He demanded the victim’s money, ATM card, and pin number to access the ATM card. He then handed the ATM card to the younger offender and told him to make sure the pin number was okay. The man departed and returned to say he was not able to withdraw money.
At this point the victim told the offenders that he had withdrawn some money earlier that day and the bank limits one day’s withdrawal to $400 total. The offenders left with the $50 cash taken from the victim, and with the card, which would be useable after midnight.
The neighbor rents a room right next to the retired man.
Attempted robbery with toy gun
At 11:35 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 2, an Asian man, 30, 4’11, 130 lb., entered a small retail store in the 4700 block of N. Sheridan Rd. and attempted to rob it. He pointed a gun at the store clerk and demanded the money from the cash register. The victim looked closely at the gun and noticed it was a toy gun made of plastic. He then chased the offender out of the store and southbound on Sheridan Rd. The offender got away and could not be located by responding officers.
Criminal damage to city property
At 2:13 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1, a man was released from the 23rd District station after signing an I-bond for traffic citations. As he was walking to his own vehicle, he kicked a police car, causing several dents in the right quarter panel. An evidence technician took photos of the damage and shoe prints left on the vehicle. The offender was escorted by officers back into the station for further processing.
Shell game
At 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1, two people gambling on a CTA train were advised to leave the train but refused. Responding officers boarded the train and placed the offenders into custody. A search revealed a small black felt board, three black plastic bottle caps, and one small red ball.
False fire alarm
Officers responded to a false fire alarm at Weiss Hospital at 2:50 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1. A security officer held the offender, whose actions were caught on videotape, until police arrived. The offender, 27, said, “I pulled the fire alarm by mistake. I don’t know why I pulled it.” He was taken into custody.
Criminal trespass
While conducting a premise check at the Wilson Ave. Red Line stop at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1, officers observed a man drinking a bottle of Wild Irish Rose wine. He was standing in an entranceway blocking the path for CTA patrons, and he was near a No Loitering sign. When asked to move along, he swore at police. He was placed under arrest.
Damage to vehicle
Someone destroyed all the windows in a black ’92 Lexus parked in the 4600 block of N. Sheridan Rd. from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27.
Reckless conduct
At 2:08 a.m. Friday, Dec. 3, police observed a man in a dumpster in the 800 block of W. Newport Ave. The 21-year-old Alsip man smelled strongly of alcohol. He was hurling objects from the dumpster onto the sidewalk, causing a breach of peace and endangering pedestrians and passing cars. He was taken into custody.
Stolen car
A red ’99 Accura two door hatchback was parked in the 4900 block of N. Marine Dr. overnight Dec. 1-2. The owner approached the spot in the morning and found the car had vanished.
Counterfeit money
At Petsmart, 2832 N. Broadway, a man attempted to buy two dog leashes on Dec. 2 with a $100 bill. The cashier checked the bill and determined it to be counterfeit. The offender fled the store; however, his image is captured on a security camera.
Deception
On Dec. 2 a local resident walked into the 23rd District station to report unauthorized use of his bank account. Two transactions took place, both from San Diego, totaling about $200.
Theft of services
At 10 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1, a cab driver transported a passenger from the 2700 block of N. Clark St. to the 4000 block of N. Clarendon Ave. The fare was $4.90. The driver said he could not make change for the passenger; she took her money, swore and left the cab without paying.
Everybody must pay
Two juveniles were caught squeezing through a CTA turnstile at the Wilson station without paying the fare at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 30. They were taken into custody.
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