Crime

CRIME Grisly photos received after turning down date

A 36-year-old man to ld Forest Park police that he received “graphic photos of dismembered bodies” after he declined to compensate a woman for a physical relationship.

According to a police report, the man said he met a woman at a Chicago bar and, after exchanging numbers, she told him he would have to pay if he wanted their relationship to “go any further and get physical.” The man was not interested in that arrangement.

The following day, the man received unsettling texts and was told to send the texter $1,000 via a mobile payment app “for disrespecting [one] of his ladies.” Additional texts came from a mapping app that told the man he was being watched. The man never sent any money to the texter.

A Forest Park police officer noted that the photos sent in this case mirrored other reported scams, something the officer wrote seemed to provide some comfort to the man.

Woman who drank ‘so much’ crashes into parked car

A 29-year-old Chicago woman was arrested early on the morning of Jan. 9 after she crashed her vehicle into a parked car near Circle Avenue and Jackson Boulevard.

Forest Park police responded to the scene of a two-vehicle crash around 3:20 a.m. and found a woman in the driver’s seat of one of the vehicles with “an odor of alcohol emitting from her person” and bloodshot, glassy eyes. The woman told police a child was in the back seat of the car, but closer inspection revealed she was the vehicle’s only occupant. The second vehicle was found unoccupied.

After taking the woman to an ambulance, officers asked the woman how much she had been drinking and she responded, “so much.” She was then transported to the hospital where a breath sample was taken, revealing a blood alcohol content of .232, nearly three times the legal limit to operate a vehicle.

The woman has been charged with driving under the influence.

Man stabs brother with scissors

An argument inside the Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line station escalated to the point where a 50-year-old man allegedly stabbed his brother in the chin with a pair of scissors.

Forest Park police were dispatched to the station at 711 Desplaines Ave. a little after 4 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 11, and were told two men had been arguing inside the terminal. The argument allegedly escalated after one brother told the other that they would not be allowed to live with their mother. The suspect allegedly then used a small pair of scissors to stab his brother’s chin and police observed a small cut on the second man’s face.

A witness told police that she told the men to break it up or she would call the police. The suspect later handed that person a pair of scissors and told her to throw them into the trash, which she did. Police recovered the scissors from the garbage.

Employee attacked inside store

An employee at a Madison Street liquor store was taken to the hospital after two would-be thieves allegedly attacked him on Monday, Jan. 11.

Forest Park police arrived at the store in the 7400 block of Madison Street and found the employee bloodied but still able to describe the attack.

The victim told police he saw two men walk into the store, one browsing the liquor selection and the other attempting to buy cigars. At some point, the man in the liquor section reportedly tried to conceal a tequila bottle in his coat, at which point the employee asked the men to leave.

After someone began calling 911, the men confronted the employee and allegedly attacked him. In the process, the victim was struck by several liquor bottles as they fell to the floor. The men then jumped in a vehicle and left the scene.

The employee was transported to the hospital for his injuries.

Suspected tracking device placed on vehicle

A man came to the Forest Park Police Department after he believed someone placed a GPS tracking device on the undercarriage of his vehicle, something he said was possibly related to an ongoing lawsuit.

According to a police report, the man’s vehicle was parked in the 400 block of Elgin Avenue on Jan. 13 when he was informed that “a white male wearing nice clothing” stepped out of a luxury car and placed something under his vehicle before driving away.

The man then retrieved the device, which was wrapped in a grocery bag with “red and black wires protruding,” and brought it to the police department. The man told officers his lawyer instructed him to come to the police to report the incident, but the man was unwilling to divulge any details about the lawsuit he believed was related to the supposed tracking device’s use.

The suspicious device was inspected and taken into evidence.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, Jan. 2-13, 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 Andy Viano

SHOOTING

Mayor responds in video

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Harlem Avenue riddled with bullets.

As of Jan. 12, no one had been arrested in any of the incidents and Hoskins urged residents or business owners near the crime scenes to turn over any surveillance video, including video from doorbell cameras, to law enforcement.

Hoskins also used the opportunity to promote the village’s forthcoming video surveillance system that was approved at the village council meeting on Jan. 10. The new 11-camera system will cover most of the village’s highest-trafficked areas and Hoskins said the cameras will be installed “in the coming months” to give law enforcement a major leg up in solving cases like these three shootings.

“These cameras are intended to provide, to some extent a deterrent effect, but [also] an ability to help us investigate crimes that occurred in Forest Park,” he said. “These are very high-resolution cameras that can zero in and grab license plate numbers, peer into vehicles and possibly help identify occupants.”

The three shootings

The first shooting took place early on the morning of Jan. 11, around 5:15 a.m., as a pregnant 19-year-old woman was driving home from her first day of work. When the woman stopped at a red light at the intersection of Harrison and Desplaines Avenue, a white Jeep SUV turned alongside her car and someone inside opened fire.

The woman was shot in the thigh but drove to her home on Desplaines after the shooting before calling police. She was later taken to the hospital for evaluation. She told police she could not identify the shooter.

When police arrived at the woman’s home, her boyfriend — who was the registered owner of the vehicle the woman was driving — was there. He told officers he was not in the car at the time of the shooting. Police recovered several 9 mm shell casings from the shooting scene.

Later on Jan. 11, around 2:30 p.m., three people, including the first victim’s boyfriend, were in a vehicle traveling near the intersection of Harrison and Circle Avenue when a light-colored SUV pulled alongside them and someone inside opened fire.

The three occupants of the car fired upon near Harrison and Circle drove themselves to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood where at least one of the three was interviewed by police.

One of the occupants had been shot in the triceps. Another occupant of the vehicle was shot in the abdomen and was unable to speak to officers while undergoing “extensive medical treatment,” according to a police report.

Again in that case, the targets of the shooting said they did not know who had shot at them and could not provide vehicle description. Officers identified a “lightcolored SUV” as the source of the gunfire based on surveillance footage from a nearby business.

Forest Park police at the scene of the second shooting, at Harrison and Circle, recovered at least 11 shell casings and an extended handgun magazine. The shell casings recovered at that scene also came from a 9 mm weapon, although it is undetermined whether it is the same weapon used in the earlier shooting.

Finally, a little after 11:45 p.m., officers were called to the 600 block of Harlem Avenue, near the intersection of Harlem and Interstate 290, after residents reported hearing numerous shots fired.

Officers made their way to a rear entrance of the residence and saw significant evidence of gunfire, apparently coming from the alley. In total, they found seven bullet holes in the rear entrance door and additional evidence of at least four more shots fired into the walls and windows. No one was injured.

The residents of the home said they did not know who had a motive to shoot at them and did not know why they were targeted.

It is unclear how the third shooting is related to the first two incidents. Bullets and shell casings discovered at the Harlem Avenue crime scene also came from a 9 mm weapon.

Anyone with video footage that could assist law enforcement, or who has additional information that could be valuable to the investigation, is asked to call the Forest Park Police Department at 708-366-2425.

TESTING SITES

AG urges caution

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waiting.

“I still have never received the results and never received an explanation for why I haven’t received the results,” said Jane Sutphen of Oak Park, one of many people who shared a negative testing experience with Growing Community Media.

Sutphen got tested Dec. 8 at a pop-up site in a strip mall storefront at 6325 W. North Ave. in Oak Park. When she went, the site was operating under the name of Northshore Clinical Labs, which Sutphen thought was a subset of NorthShore University Health System. In actuality, the Northshore Clinical Labs has no affiliation with the hospital group. Sutphen now believes the lab’s name intentionally misleading.

“I think they’re doing it to deceive,” said Sutphen.

She said the site itself was unsanitary and that staff were not at all strict about masking. Sutphen filed a complaint with the Oak Park Public Health Department but learned that COVID-19 testing sites are out of its jurisdiction.

Likewise, the Cook County Department of Public Health and even the Illinois Department of Public Health have no regulatory control over the sites, which operate under a variety of names, including Center for Covid Control, Covid Center of Chicago, Free Covid Testing Site and Northshore Clinical Labs.

The names of labs also sometimes change. A reporter visiting the North Avenue site Sutphen used found it empty and padlocked, with sign on the glass door that had a variety of company names, including Grapefruit Health and PSK Clinics.

Warning issued

Last week, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul cautioned residents thinking about using pop-up test sites, saying his office “cannot confirm the legitimacy of individual pop-up testing locations.”

“The increased need for testing has also resulted in testing shortages, leading people to visit so-called ‘pop-up’ testing locations,” Raoul said in the statement. “It is important for people to know that these sites are not licensed or regulated by a government agency, and they should ask questions before visiting a pop-up testing location – or try to utilize a state-sponsored testing site.”

Following an inquiry by Growing Community Media late last week, the Center for Covid Control announced that it was temporarily shutting down all of its locations, including its sites at 9219 Broadway Ave. in Brookfield, 1527 Harlem Ave. in Forest Park and 200 N. Oak Park Ave. in Oak Park.

The company said the temporary shutdown, which was to last through Jan. 22, was due to the operational strain from customer demand.

“Regrettably, due to our rapid growth and the unprecedented recent demand for testing, we haven’t been able to meet all our commitments,” said Center for Covid Control founder and CEO Aleya Siyaj in a press release.

In her LinkedIn profile online, Siyaj lists herself as CEO of BullsEye Axe Throwing Lounge in Barrington Hills. She also previously served as CEO of a donut company.

The company’s announcement also coincided with news reported Jan. 14 by USA Today that Center for Covid Control’s primary lab partner was under investigation by a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the wake of other investigations undertaken by the Oregon Department of Justice and the Better Business Bureau.

State testing centers

The Illinois Department of Public Health recommends people get tested at the following State of Illinois Community Testing Sites, which are open to all regardless of symptoms and do not require appointments:

*Walk-up testing is available at Waukegan. ^Vaccination is available at Arlington Heights and South Holland

Aurora Sunday - Saturday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. 2450 N. Farnsworth Ave., Aurora

Harwood Heights Sunday - Saturday 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. 6959 W. Forest Preserve, Chicago

^Arlington Heights Monday - Saturday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. ^South Holland Sunday - Saturday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Arlington Racetrack, 823 Wilke Road, Arlington Heights South Suburban College 15800 State St., South Holland

*Waukegan Monday - Saturday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. 102 W. Water St., Waukegan

Bad reviews

People who have been tested at pop-up sites told Growing Community Media had a variety of reactions to their visits, from believing staff were overwhelmed to feeling scammed by a get-rich-quick scheme. There was consensus, however, among those who shared their experiences: Each said they would not recommend that others utilize pop-up testing locations.

The city of Berwyn terminated its contract with Northshore Clinical Labs early last month due to the company’s failure to deliver test results to patients. Northshore Clinical Labs conducted two Berwyn community testing events prior to its Dec. 3 dismissal. A drive-up testing event scheduled for Dec. 6 was canceled.

“Their inability to provide test results in a timely manner and in the prescribed timeline they had agreed to, left me no choice but to leave North Shore Testing and seek other testing labs,” Berwyn Emergency Management Coordinator Tony J. Laureto wrote in a statement dated Dec. 7.

Northshore Clinical Labs is connected to other pop-up testing sites in Oak Park, Forest Park and North Riverside, sometimes operating under the Free Covid Testing Site (FCTS) name.

Ramona Ramos-Sullivan and her husband only just received their results Jan. 10, after getting tested Christmas Eve at the Northshore Clinical Labs location operating out of the former CVS Pharmacy at 216 Circle Ave. in Forest Park.

“I tried calling the lab several times, and nobody answers,” Ramos-Sullivan said. “It just kept ringing.”

Gregory Palivos, the managing partner of that Northshore location, did not return Growing Community Media’s request for comment.

Jane Brencic went to a Northshore/FCTS testing site in a pod set up in the parking lot of the North Riverside Park Mall, 7501 Cer-

mak Road, on Dec. 21 because it was offering drive-up testing.

She got both a rapid test and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, the latter of which takes longer to process. While her rapid test came back negative, she was told she would receive the results of her PCR results within five days. Brencic received her negative PCR result a full 15 days after being tested.

The site has since closed. A visit to the site on Jan. 14 found the signage taken down and left folded up inside.

Brencic’s husband, Dave, had a similar experience with a Northshore/FCTS site at 321A S. Harlem Ave. in Forest Park. He received his PCR test result 13 days after his nasal cavity was swabbed.

“People are really desperate to find a place to get a result,” said Dave Brencic.

Growing Community Media has reached out to Muhammad Khan, the managing partner of the 321A S. Harlem Ave. testing site, for comment.

Northshore/FCTS also operates the site at 2704 Harlem Ave. in Riverside, which was still seeing clients as of Jan. 14. The name of the company on a 2022 business license application for 2704 Harlem Ave., obtained by Growing Community Media through a public records request, was Northwest Testing LLC.

The manager of that company is listed by the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office as Syed Bilgrami of Gilberts, Illinois.

Hasnain Bligrami, an apparent relative of Syed Bligrami, refers to himself as the “small business owner” of Northwest Testing on his LinkedIn page.

The contact person listed on the Riverside business license application is “Hass” with an email address referring to a company called Elite Testing which is also managed by Syed Bilgrami, according to Illinois Secretary of State records.

The actual 2022 business license on file with the village of Riverside refers to the 2704 Harlem Ave. business as “Center for Covid Control.”

It is unclear whether the testing site is still affiliated with Center for Covid Control, but Hass Bilgrami was that company’s spokesman when the pop-up site first opened at that location in May 2021.

The site at 2704 Harlem Avenue and the recently shuttered one at the North Riverside Park Mall are connected. The company applying for a business license in North Riverside last year was Northshore Clinical Lab, according to records obtained by Growing Community Media on file with the village. Syed Bilgrami is listed as the “manager” of the company in the application.

Hass Bilgrami did not respond to attempts to reach him. Neither Syed nor Hass Bilgrami had backgrounds in medical testing prior to their involvement in the pop-up sites, according to their personal LinkedIn pages.

Syed Bilgrami formerly worked as an account executive for Comcast and for a T-Mobile retailer. Hass Bilgrami worked as an account executive for Verizon and owns a boat rental company.

While many of the pop-up sites that sprang up last fall have closed or have paused operations due to an avalanche of complaints and heightened scrutiny, some municipalities have been able to shut down sites, which can operate after obtaining a certificate from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The village of Oak Park successfully shut one down on Dec. 30, but only was able to because it was operating without a business license. Called Covid Centers of Chicago while in business, the testing site was located in storefront previously occupied by Snow White dry cleaners at 40 W. Chicago Ave.

On top of not having a business license, the site’s proprietor, Zafar Hussain, was slapped with 15 other citations for several safety infractions, including failure to maintain heat, failure to maintain water supply in washrooms and failure to remove chemicals from the dry cleaning plant. Hussain’s hearing with the village is scheduled for Jan. 20.