Berwyn Police Blotter
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Neither snow nor rain nor screen
May 24, 2007, 10:36 PM
A woman and her four children cowered in the basement of their flat on south Oak Park Avenue as the woman’s husband banged on the window and yelled outside. The man, from whom she is separated, broke a screen, came in through the window and punched the woman in the face and stomach with his fist. When her boyfriend intervened, the husband pulled a knife out of the sink, pointed it at the wife and said “I’ll kill you, bitch!” before the boyfriend persuaded him to leave. The woman told police she believes the husband may be a postal carrier.
Single headlight signal to police
May 24, 2007, 10:27 PM
Police at 15th and Grove stopped a silver Chevy sedan with only one headlight. The driver, 20-year-old Carlos J. Arce of Elmwood Park, was cited for the missing headlight, no seatbelt, no insurance and driving with a suspended license.
Riverside woman arrested on deceptive practice charge
May 24, 2007, 9:26 PM
A Riverside woman who bounced checks for hundreds of dollars at nearby currency exchanges, including at least one Berwyn business, was arrested. Ruby A. Navarra, 22, also had four active arrest warrants from Chicago, Hoffman Estates, Elgin and Schaumburg.
More Click It arrests
May 24, 2007, early evening
Police monitoring seatbelt use in the Cermak Plaza area caught seven people not wearing their belts and impounded one car for noise. Six drivers had no license; one had a revoked license. Drivers were from Oak Park, Cicero and North Aurora as well as one from Berwyn.
Man may have been hit with hammer
May 24, 2007, 5:57 PM
At Ogden and Oak Park, a Cicero man told police someone hit him on the head from behind. A large lump was visible on the man’s head. The man did not see the attacker, but immediately afterward noticed a man enter a sedan and flee eastbound on Ogden. A 17-year-old girl who also saw the fleeing man told police the weapon may have been a hammer. Another witness provided a possible plate number for the vehicle; the one he gave police was registered to a 1996 Ford with an East St. Louis address.
Suspicious car
May 24, 2007, 4:01 PM
A call about a suspicious vehicle in the 3100 block of Clarence led police to a 1992 Ford sedan with the keys in the ignition and a 23-year-old Chicago man at the wheel. Victor Mendieta was ticketed for driving with no license or insurance.
Daughters witness battery
May 24, 2007, 3:59 PM
A 45-year-old man was charged with domestic battery after he reportedly pulled his girlfriend to the floor and struck her during an argument. The woman’s daughters pulled him off. When police came to the residence in the 1400 block of Kenilworth, they saw the woman’s face was cut and bruised, and her knee and wrist were swollen. The offender was found upstairs.
Graffiti removed
May 24, 2007, noonish
A garage in the 1600 block of Ridgeland sporting gang graffiti symbols was photographed by police, and the graffiti was removed. Same for a gold initial spray-painted on a garage in the 2300 block of Wesley.
Ongoing dispute escalates
May 24, 2007, 10:15 AM
A dispute between tenant and landlord continued as the tenant reported someone removed the wood that boarded up his apartment doorway. The man, who now owes four months of back rent for his flat in the 3100 block of Harlem, also found his mattress and bedsprings sitting on the landing near the door. He blames the landlord for these events.
Hoop stolen
May 24, 2007, 9:07 AM
A portable basketball hoop was stolen from the 1500 block of Cuyler. The owner told police he forgot to put it away.
Big dogs at large
May 24, 2007, 8:24 AM
Two German shepherds in the 2400 block of Clarence/Wesley alley were captured. The owner, a 23-year-old man from the 2300 block of East, claimed the dogs and got a ticket for allowing them to run loose.
No seatbelt + no signal = citations
May 24, 2007, 7:55 AM
At 16th and Kenilworth, an officer stopped a blue Buick Park Avenue whose driver wore no seatbelt and changed lanes without signaling. Henry Gonzalez, 23, of Cicero received tickets for those offenses and for driving without a license.
Car drops clue for cops
May 24, 2007, 7:38 AM
A Charger and a Lumina had an accident at 16th and Euclid. The Charger driver told police his car was struck by the Lumina as it exited an alley. The Lumina then fled. During the collision, the Lumina’s VIN number fell onto the street, enabling police to find 17-year-old driver Antonio Gonzalez of Cicero. Gonzalez told police the other car hit his, and that he left because he had no license and insurance. He was ticketed for failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident; failing to report an accident; failing to give information at the scene, and of course driving with no license or insurance.
Man drives with no license, no US ID
May 24, 2007, 7:39 AM
Police pulled over a green Ford pickup truck at 16th and Ridgeland after it disobeyed a stop a few blocks back. The driver, a 36-year-old living in the 2200 block of Ridgeland, had no license, no insurance and only a Mexican ID. He was ticketed for all the above.
Thursday starts at high volume
May 24, 2007, midnight to 2 AM
At Cuyler and Cermak, a Cicero woman’s Infiniti was impounded for noise. At 18th and Harlem, police stopped 27-year-old Justin Coleman of Bridgeview, whose Ford sedan had a modified sound system. At Harlem and 21st, a 19-year-old Berwyn man’s white Jeep was taken away for excessive noise. A loud Mercury Sable owned by a Cicero man but driven by his 18-year-old nephew was impounded at Cermak and Clarence. And a Carol Stream man, 25-year-old Cornelius McDade, was stopped for the same offense in the 6500 block of 13th. His white 2002 Mustang was towed.