Berwyn Police Blotter
Gang activity
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Block-circling convoy accused of gun waving, gang menace
July 11, 2008, 8:48 PM
Police came to the 1300 block of Clarence* on a report of someone with a gun. They spoke with a 23-year-old woman, who stated she was sitting on the porch with another woman and two men, one of whom lived at the house. Three vehicles drove past, she said: a Ford Explorer with at least four men in it; then a smaller, older red 4-door vehicle with several occupants, and last an older green 4-door with several occupants. The woman told police that as the Ford passed the house, its occupants yelled out a gang slogan she knew to mean “death to [name of gang here]”, but said she did not know why they would drive past and say that. As the Ford reached the 13th St. stop sign, the front passenger allegedly pointed a gun at her group, then turned onto 13th.
As the red car passed the house, its occupants were “throwing up gang signs”, she said. The green car passed without incident. The vehicles drove past a second time, she said, but were probably inspired to leave by the sirens of approaching police.
The man on whose porch the group sat reported the gang slogan he heard yelled, adding that nobody at his house is involved in gang activity so he did not know why the incident occurred.
*The same address was the scene of a couple of arrests less than a week earlier:
Gang activity • Suspicious people, objects or events • Weapons-related • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Graffiti on Cermak, East, 19th etc. …
July 10, 2008, 9:55 AM
Someone wrote with marker on the back door of a business in the 6600 block of Cermak. More graffiti, this time illegible, was left on a garage in the 2200 block of East.
2:27 PM
A dumpster in the 6600 block of 19th was defaced with black spray paint.
2:50 PM
Graffiti was left on a mailbox at 16th and Clarence.
7:18 PM
More graffiti, found on the rear wall of a building in the 7000 block of Cermak.
Gang activity • Graffiti / vandalism / criminal damage • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Neighborhood Watch: it works when you work it
July 10, 2008
About 11 AM, police sent someone to remove graffiti placed behind businesses in the 6300 block of Cermak the previous day. At the scene, as he removed the vandalism, the graffiti officer learned the name of a possible suspect. He immediately relayed the information to the juvenile division. Juvenile officers went to the house of the 16-year-old male suspect. As they spoke with the boy, they could see black paint on his fingers. The boy initially told police the paint was just “dirt from work.” But officers also saw a notebook on the kitchen table, featuring “art” matching the graffiti all over various buildings on Cermak. Only two hours elapsed from the time the officer got the name to the time of the arrest. The boy was charged with criminal damage to property.
Gang activity • Graffiti / vandalism / criminal damage • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Loose Chihuahua’s owner ticketed; stray mix wanders into auto repair shop
July 9, 2008, 11:52 AM
A black-and-white Chihuahua was found in the 3700 block of Oak Park Ave, without collar or tags. Later, police located the owner, Miranda Franks* of the 3800 block of Euclid; she received a dog-at-large ticket with a court date of July 17, 2008 at 3 PM in the community room of 6401 31st, Berwyn.
5:04 PM
A stray Rottweiler mix dog without collar or tags was found in the 7100 block of 16th at an auto repair shop.
Dogs, dog attacks • Gang activity • Suspicious people, objects or events • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Graffiti in several consecutive blocks of Cermak
July 9, 2008, 5:25 AM
Police found graffiti done in black spray paint on two walls of a building in the 6300 block of Cermak. More of the same writing was on an overhead garage door for a business in the same block, and even more was seen on the alley wall of a dollar store on that block.
5:35 AM
The west wall of a building in the 6200 block of Cermak was defaced with painted graffiti. Black spray-paint was used to vandalize the east wall of a business in the 6400 block of Cermak. The inside of a bus shelter at East and Cermak was defaced also.
Gang activity • Graffiti / vandalism / criminal damage • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Gang graffiti roundup
July 8, 2008, 9:51 AM
Gang graffiti—all matching—was found on the rear sides of two buildings in the 3300 block of Grove, one in the 3200 block of Grove, and on an AT&T phone box.
5:29 PM
A very large amount of gang graffiti was scrawled on the wall of a garage in the 2600 block of Ridgeland.
Gang activity • Graffiti / vandalism / criminal damage • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Friday, July 11, 2008
Graffiti on both sides of alley
July 6, 2008, 12:18 PM
Two garages were defaced with graffiti in the 6400 block of 26th Place/27th alley.
Gang activity • Graffiti / vandalism / criminal damage • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Burger King lot scene of gang-related fight
July 6, 2008, 2:12 AM
A call about men fighting in the parking lot at Burger King, 2147 Oak Park Ave., brought police, who saw two men start to walk away from the group as the squad car pulled up. Other units were summoned to stop the two from straying. A witness told police the two men trying to leave the scene had picked a fight with the victim, a 30-year-old Joliet man.
The victim told police the two asked him for a cigarette. When he refused, one man, dressed in a Sox cap, began “talking gang stuff” and made threats. The offender then grabbed the victim and hit him in the chest. The victim’s shirt was ripped, and he had cuts to his arm and chest. Police charged George Nunez, 19, of the 2200 block of East, with battery. The second man, a 25-year-old from Cicero, was not charged.
Assault, battery • Disorderly conduct • Fight/brawl/riot • Gang activity • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Gang attack continues in full view of police
July 5, 2008, 1:25 AM
Police came to the 1400 block of Elmwood, west side, on reports of a fight in progress. An officer saw 10-12 people fighting, as one man lay on the ground. The others were kicking the victim in the face, head and chest. To approach the group, the officer had to drive through another group of men fighting in the alley. Despite the lights and sirens of the squad car, the attackers continued to kick and strike the prone victim, but some finally fled eastbound on foot through residents’ yards.
The victim, a 21-year-old block resident, said friends dropped him off on 14th. He said he entered the alley on his way home when he was confronted by several men who identified themselves as members of a street gang. They attacked him and were still doing so when the officer appeared. The victim positively identified four men as his attackers. Charged with mob action were Marcos Zacarias, 18, of Darien; Rogelio Gonzalez, 21, of the 2400 block of East; Miguel Guzman, 21, of the 1400 block of Gunderson; and Javier E. De los Santos, 19, of the 1600 block of Cuyler.
Fight/brawl/riot • Gang activity • Suspicious people, objects or events • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Street gang celebrates the 4th by defacing church, garages
July 4, 2008, 8:47 AM
Gang graffiti was spray-painted on the front door and west wall of a church in the 1200 block of Euclid.
11:27 AM
In the 3800 blocks of Grove and Kenilworth, gang drawings were placed on three garages; more of the same was found in the 3700 block of Clinton.
11:57 PM
Gang graffiti and symbols marred an overhead garage door in the 2200 block of East.
Gang activity • Graffiti / vandalism / criminal damage • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
That “shaken spray-paint can” sound alerts witnesses to gang vandal
July 3, 2008, 1:45 PM
Anonymous callers reported a man in the alley of the east side of the 1400 block of Wenonah, shaking a can of spray paint. A responding officer saw the result of the offender’s activity: a garage wall defaced with gang graffiti in black paint. Witnesses said the offender was a male Hispanic dressed in a black cap, black T-shirt and checked shorts.
In the 2800 block of Wisconsin, an overhead garage door was found marked up with gang symbols.
Gang activity • Graffiti / vandalism / criminal damage • Suspicious people, objects or events • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Pot, gang stuff, dominate cellphone picture gallery
July 2, 2008, 8:49 PM
Callers reported a group from an orange vehicle chasing another group and yelling “gang slurs”. Police located the orange vehicle—a 2004 Pontiac Aztek SUV—which was stopped in the 2800 block of Ridgeland. A woman sat alone in the vehicle. Cecelia Rios, 18, had no license, just a learner’s permit. She told police she had been with her brother, who exited the SUV for unknown reasons, and she was driving in circles looking for him. Rios was charged with prohibited alley traffic, no seat belt, and driving without a valid license.
The Aztek was towed. During an inventory of its contents, police saw three cell phones. Rios reportedly said the owners of the phones jumped out of the Aztec to chase some other people. As they checked the phone contact lists for some clue as to the identity of the owners, police noticed pot plants and signs of gang affiliation in the phone pictures.
Three male juveniles—apparently the objects of the foot chase—were found and returned to their guardian.
Disorderly conduct • Fight/brawl/riot • Gang activity • Suspicious people, objects or events • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Graffiti vandals sign their work
July 2, 2008, 2:44 PM
In the 6900 block of 29th Place, vandals drew gang graffiti on a garage door, along with the word “Crooks.”
Gang activity • Graffiti / vandalism / criminal damage • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Graffiti roundup
June 29, 2008, 8:10 AM
In the 1200 block of Gunderson, a parked Jaguar was found with gold graffiti sprayed on its roof and entire right side.
10:29 AM
Gold graffiti marred two garages in the 1300 block of Elmwood.
11:57 AM
In the 2200 block of Home, gang graffiti was found on a garage door.
Gang activity • Graffiti / vandalism / criminal damage • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Gang graffiti in gold
June 28, 2008, 11:10 PM
Gang graffiti was found on two garages in the 1900 block of Ridgeland/Elmwood alley, done in gold spray paint and intended to convey the idea that one gang’s members would kill another gang’s members.
Gang activity • Graffiti / vandalism / criminal damage • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink