by BRIAN NADIG

A witness played an important role in the July 8 arrest of a suspicious individual who was seen entering a backyard near Montrose and Marmora avenues and then checking the door handles of nearby parked cars, according to 16th (Jefferson Park) District police.

Officers saw a vehicle with no headlights on being driven in the area and following a brief pursuit the driver exited the vehicle and ran through residential yards before being apprehended. The suspect was identified by police as a 17-year-old male and charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, which was reported missing from the 4300 block of North Monitor Avenue.

The incident was discussed at the Aug. 15 meeting of the 16th District Advisory Committee. At DAC meetings police officials often stress the importance of residents acting as the "eyes and ears" of the police.









Also at the meeting, community policing sergeant Jeff Aaron said that an Aug. 9 shooting in the 3400 block of North Cicero Avenue was not a random incident.

A man was shot over an apparent dispute about a basketball game, and he was taken in serious condition to Illinois Masonic Hospital, but his condition later stabilized, police said.

Aaron also reported that the district continues to experience significant drops in the number of reported crimes in several categories. Through Aug. 11, there were 50 robberies in the district compared to 79 during the same period last year, 214 burglaries compared to 314 in 2019 and 316 felony thefts compared to 404 last year.

Also, the committee presented the district’s "Officer of the Month" award to Sergio Corona, Brendan Lyons and Ravyn Morgan for providing a tourniquet to an 8-year-old boy who suffered arterial bleeding while climbing a fence.