Berwyn Police Blotter
Dollar-store deodorant thieves flee, elude police
June 5, 2008, 1:46 PM
A caller reported a man and a woman leaving Dollar Tree, Cermak Plaza, after stealing store merchandise. The manager said the pair fled in a white Ford Escort wagon, and gave the license number to police. An officer spotted the Ford at Cermak and Home and attempted to pull it over with lights and sirens. Instead of stopping, the Ford accelerated, drove through the stop sign at 21st at high speed, turned right onto 19th, blew through the stops at Grove and again at Oak Park, then fled north on Oak Park. During the chase, the passenger threw a black plastic bag out of the car. It contained 10 Lady Speed Stick deodorants and two Men’s Speed Sticks. When the car approached 16th, the passenger threw out an even larger white bag; that one contained another 30-40 deodorant sticks.
The vehicle was registered to a man from the 1900 block of south 50th, Cicero. His extensive criminal history included attempted murder and armed violence. A flash message was sent out to other police departments. Police learned that an hour after the Berwyn theft, the Lincolnwood police department ran the name of the car’s owner. Lincolnwood recently had a similar theft of deodorant, followed by a police chase during which the offenders threw the loot out of the car.
The manager told police a man and woman entered the store together, and the man began placing store items inside a black plastic bag and a white cloth bag. When the pair headed for the door without paying, the manager asked them to stop. The man stated, “F^@& you,” and the pair walked to the car. The manager described them as a male black, 5’9”, slender, dressed in shiny jogging pants and a light blue shirt; and a female black, 5’3”, large, dressed in blue shorts and a blue tank with white stripes.
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