18th and 23rd Districts
Brutal bullies
At 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, a male student at LPHS, 2001 N. Orchard St., went into a bathroom stall. A bully climbed over the wall and began to kick the victim about the head and face, demanding his money. The student pleaded for him to stop, and said he would give the money. Instead, two more thugs entered the stall and began to punch the victim as the first offender continued kicking. The victim tossed $20 at the offenders, who picked it up and fled. The three offenders—all students at LPHS—were identified. Two were apprehended the next morning and transported to the 18th District to be charged with strong arm robbery.
Bomb threat
At 5:04 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24, a visitor at the John Hancock Center, 875 N. Michigan Ave., claimed to have a bomb. He approached a security agent and said, “I have a bomb. It’s an explosive device…It could kill a lot of people.” He then poured out some of the contents of his bag: miscellaneous electric wires and components. The Fire Department arrived and circled the offender. The police then arrived to arrest him.
Computer disappears
The business office of Wells on Wells, 1617 N. Wells St., was burglarized between 2 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24. A computer ($2,950) and cash ($50) were taken.
Tavern burglary
Glascott’s Tavern, 2150 N. Halsted St., was burglarized early Monday, Oct. 24, but there were no signs of forced entry. The rear door was secured when the last employee left at 2:30 a.m. When employees arrived a few hour later, one turned on the stove exhaust fan and the suction pulled open the rear door, revealing that it was now unlocked. Three-coin operated machines had been broken into, and cabinets in the office had been opened. An exact accounting of moneys lost was deferred until an evidence technician could arrive to look for fingerprints and
take photos.
Fish & wings
A bag of chicken wings and a bag of fish sticks were stolen from the storage shed of Hot Diggety Dogs, 251 E. Ohio St. The burglar pried open the shed sometime Oct. 22-24.
Vehicle break-in
Someone broke the passenger window of a red 1988 Chevy truck parked in the 1600 block of N. Sheffield Ave. between 8 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25. The vandal then took $50, a driver’s license, and store membership cards.
Thief with jimmy
Between 4:25 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24, and 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, someone jimmied the door of a white 2001 Chevy Cavalier parked in the 1100 block of W. Webster St. The thief took a book bag ($50).
Break & take
The owner parked a black 2004 Lexus in the 1700 block of N. Sedgwick St. from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25. She returned to find the driver’s window broken and her cell phone ($200) missing.
Burglar gets SUV too
Between 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, and 12:15 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, someone entered an unlocked apartment in the 2200 block of N. Fremont St. He took a laptop ($1,500), a pearl necklace ($100), and car keys. He then located the corresponding car, a silver 2002 Ford SUV, outside the garage on an adjacent slab of concrete, and drove off. The California license plate is 4VUW655.
Cash & carry
A back window that does not lock may have permitted the entry of a burglar into an apartment in the 1200 block of W. Webster St. on Tuesday, Oct. 25. Taken were $4,035 in currency and change; three watches (Omega, TAG and Swiss Army), four pairs of cuff links, one set of silver shirt stays, a short black leather jacket, an X-Box with games, eight DVDs, $1500 in travelers’ checks, and an American Tourister suitcase.
Bank robbery
Over $7,000 was stolen in a bank robbery at 9:20 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, at Bank One, 71 W. Chicago Ave. The offender, a black man, 35, 6’4”, 225 lb., waited in line to approach the teller. He then said, “Give me all you got, starting with the 100s, or I’ll shoot you.” The teller put the 100s into a black plastic bag, then the 50s. As the teller was taking the 20s, the offender said, “No, no! Give the 20s to my hand.” The teller did so, then handed over the 10s. The robber dropped one ten, which was later processed by an evidence technician and turned over to the FBI. The offender said, “That’s enough,” then fled on foot with $7,140.
The robber wore a black jacket, blue jeans, white gym shoes, and a white mask over his mouth.
Two expensive bikes
In the 2100 block of N. Sedgwick St., a resident left the overhead garage door up on Monday, Oct. 24. He then discovered two bikes missing: a Trek Y-22 bike ($2,800) and a LeMond road bike ($1,800).
Watch out
While sitting at the Grand Lux Café, 600 N. Michigan Ave., at 10 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, a woman placed her purse beside her barstool. Someone made off with the purse, which contained IDs, credit cards and a cell phone. Two days later at the same café, a different woman placed her purse on the back of her chair. At 8:35 p.m. she felt a bump against her chair and checked for her purse. Missing was the purse ($400), $100 cash, keys and a driver’s license.
Snatch & flee
At 9:15 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, a woman walking north in the 600 block of N. McClurg Ct. had her purse snatched. The offender approached from behind, snatched the purse and fled. In the purse were credit cards, a driver’s license, a cell phone and a book.
Computer envy
In the 2200 block of N. Bissell St., a burglar struck sometime Oct. 21-23. He pried open the rear door of an apartment and stole a computer ($1,200), a pillowcase and a bath towel.
Robbers get $38
A man walking in the 100 block of W. Ontario St. fell victim to three strong arm robbers at 10:15 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22. They knocked him to the ground, took his wallet with $38, and fled. The bleeding victim was taken to Northwestern Hospital by responding officers.
Placard pilfered
On Wednesday, Oct. 19, in the 700 block of N. Sedgwick St., someone stole a handicapped placard from a red 2004 Chevy Blazer. The vehicle may have been unlocked.
Considerable loss
Someone broke a window of a silver 2003 Land Rover while it was parked in the 1800 block of N. Halsted St. between 5 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19. The thief took a red crocodile tote bag containing digital equipment ($4,000), a work bag with hand tools ($600), a cell phone, eyeglasses, and $340 cash.
Tire taken
A thief spotted a black 2005 Jeep that was parked in the 00 block of E. Cedar St. from 1 to 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 20. He stole the spare tire ($500) from the back of the vehicle.
19th and 20th Districts
Popular scam
A resident of Roscoe Village advertised his car for sale on the Internet. He received an e-mail from an offender offering to buy the car for $9,000. The offender then mailed the victim a cashier's check for $15,000, and emailed the victim instructions on returning the difference. Following these instructions, on Oct. 18 the victim transferred $5,835 from his account to the offender through a wire transfer at the currency exchange. Afterwards, the victim discovered that the cashier’s check was counterfeit.
Chariots of fire
In separate incidents, three cars caught fire while being operated. A 1991 Nissan caught fire Monday, Oct. 17, in the 2300 block of W. Waveland Ave. A 1992 Pontiac Grand Am caught fire Tuesday, Oct. 18, in the 2500 block of N. Greenview Ave. A 1999 Honda Accord caught fire Thursday, Oct. 20, in the 3600 block of N. Southport Ave.
Thief acts fast
A man discovered his ATM card missing after a late evening at a tavern in the 3900 block of N. Lincoln Ave. Oct. 22-23. He contacted the bank and discovered numerous unauthorized charges, totaling $1,306.65, as well as a $400 cash withdrawal, all of which took place late Oct. 22 or early Oct. 23.
Embezzlement
A business owner in the 4800 block of N. Western Ave. reported to police on Oct. 25 that a previous manager of his business had embezzled at least $100,000 from him between Dec. 1, 2002, and May 5, 2005. He said the employee had used company funds to pay for personal credit card bills, home improvements, car insurance and car payments.
Unauthorized use
A Lincoln Park man lost his ATM card on Friday, Oct. 14, possibly leaving it in an ATM machine. Over $900 was charged by a thief before the victim realized the loss and canceled the card.
More than one problem
On routine patrol at 4:40 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, police in the 2100 block of W. Lawrence Ave. spotted a 1996 Chevy with an expired temporary place, and curbed the vehicle. The driver could not produce a valid driver’s license or proof of insurance. A computer check revealed that the driver had an outstanding warrant from DuPage County. He was placed into custody and transported to the 19th District.
Vandalism
At 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, a few teenagers hurled an apple at Super Hair Designer, 4736 N. Damen Ave., breaking a window. A witness saw the teens running to a red 4x4 vehicle.
Odd collision
According to police reports, a 1993 Cadillac was stopped at a red light in the 2700 block of N. Halsted St. at 1:20 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, when a skateboarder slipped and fell off his skateboard onto the victim’s car. The impact cracked the windshield.
Flames on roof
At Domestic Uniform Rental, 4133 N. Ravenswood Ave., fumes and smoke from a chimney caused part of the roof to catch fire around noon Saturday, Oct. 15. The fire department extinguished the blaze.
Daytime damage
A vandal slashed a tire and sprayed red paint all over a white van parked in the 1900 block of W. Montrose Ave. The crime occurred between 10 and 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 27.
Walk right in
A burglar apparently used an unlocked door to enter an apartment in the 900 block of W. Montana St. Sunday, Oct. 23. Taken were a VCR, a DVD player, a CD player, a laptop and two DVDs.
Suitcase of stolen goods
Electronics were stolen by a burglar in the 2400 block of N. Geneva Terrace between 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24. He made off with a large Pierre Cardin suitcase, 110 DVDs, a backpack, a 22” LCD TV monitor, a Mac mini-hard drive, a 16” TV monitor and a PlayStation 2.
Hard drive, soft soap
An apartment in the 800 block of W. Lill St. was burglarized Tuesday, Oct. 25. Apparently someone had a key to enter the locked doors without using force. The thief got a laptop, two I-Pods, a digital camera, DVDs, and shampoo and soap from the shower.
Common entry point
In the 4500 block of N. Greenview Ave., a burglar pushed in an air conditioner and bent a screen to gain access on Tuesday, Oct. 25. He took two stereo receivers, a DVD player, a CD player, a boom box and a watch.
What's going on?
A man noticed a passenger sedan driving down an alley in the 2500 block of W. Hutchinson St., pulling a Honda generator, at 10:45 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25. The man followed; when the offenders saw him, they dropped the generator and fled. The witness located the nearby garage from which the generator had been stolen and he notified the owner. The garage door had been pried open. The generator is worth $2,000.
Ransack
In the 3400 block of N. Southport Ave., a burglar jimmied a door and then ransacked an apartment on Thursday, Oct. 27. He took a watch ($75), an IBM Think Pad ($2,500), a laptop ($1,500), 30 DVDs, and two cameras ($400 together).
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