The vandalism and looting of North Riverside on May 31 started much earlier than previously reported, the Landmark has learned, after reviewing police incident reports from that day.

Police first responded to Best Buy, 2358 Harlem Ave., for an activated burglar alarm just after 4 a.m. on May 31. When police arrived, a silver Chevy sedan took off at a high rate of speed. An officer pursued but broke off the chase as speeds topped 100 mph on Harlem Avenue. The vehicle was last seen approaching I-55 at high speed.

Back at the scene, police observed glass door panels shattered and the metal security gate lifted up. According to the police report, several sets of Beats headphones and other electronics were missing from the store. Security video showed five men enter the store and take multiple items.

During a walkthrough of the store a few days later, the store manager informed police that he observed several items inside that had been left behind by looters, including an iPhone, one black and white Nike shoe, one Adidas sandal, a key ring with three keys on it, a tire iron and a crow bar.

On June 4, police responded to the store again after the manager called to report finding six spent 40 mm shell casings on the ground outside the west door to the warehouse. Police reviewing security video from May 31 reported observing a man unsuccessfully attempt to shoot the lock off the warehouse door at about 3 p.m. at the height of the looting in and around the Harlem-Cermak area.

 

Cars egged in south Brookfield

Brookfield police responded to the 4200 block of Elm Avenue after someone called to report that several cars on the block had been egged at about 11 p.m. on June 4.

The caller told police that he heard people outside yelling racial slurs. When he went to check what was going on, he observed that an egg had been thrown at his vehicle, along with several others on the block.

About 20 minutes later, according to police dispatch records, another person phoned police to report that more vehicles had been egged on Shields Avenue between Maple and Arthur.

 

Garage burglary

A resident of the 3900 block of Grove Avenue, Brookfield, called police to report that during the overnight hours of June 5-6, someone entered his unlocked detached garage and removed several items, including a chainsaw, leaf blower and hedge trimmer.

Also reported missing was a set of Callaway golf clubs, one of which was recovered from the grass parkway in front of the residence. The estimated value of the items taken was $3,000.

 

DUI crash

Brookfield police charged a 23-year-old LaGrange man with drunken driving and cited him for leaving the scene of an accident and other traffic offenses after he allegedly crashed his blue 2014 Honda into parked silver 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser in the 3300 block of Madison Ave. on June 6 at about 9:50 p.m.

According to the police report, a witness had seen the vehicle driving erratically with his headlights off in the vicinity of Eight Corners prior to the crash. Police reported finding an open bottle of cognac and hard seltzer inside the vehicle, along with more than 90 grams of cannabis.

The driver’s blood-alcohol content was reportedly 1.8, which is more than two times the legal limit of .08.

 

$2 bill not fake

A Brookfield resident went to police on the afternoon of June 4, claiming that an ice cream truck driver handed him a counterfeit $2 bill as change for a purchase he made in the 4100 block of Arthur Avenue. However, after a check of the bill and a search on the internet, the officer determined that the $2 bill was, in fact, genuine currency, Series 2013.

 

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments, May 31-June 7, 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