16th District police officers to be honored for arrest that cleared armed robbery pattern in Jefferson Park, Gladstone Park over the summer
by BRIAN NADIG
The 16th (Jefferson Park) Police District Advisory Committee is honoring officers Matt Scott and Jose Deleon for their Aug. 30 arrest of a suspect in a reported armed at the Subway restaurant, 6352 N. Milwaukee Ave.
The arrest appears to have cleared a pattern that included a similar robbery a few weeks earlier at the 7-Eleven convenience store at 4859 N. Milwaukee Ave., but no charges have been filed in connection with that inci- dent, according to police.
The suspect reportedly had been identified in a photo array following the Subway robbery, and officers saw a man fitting the description in a backyard in the 5500 block of North Central Avenue, according to police. The man identified in the photo lineup reportedly was familiar to officers and has distinguishing marks, including tattoos, police said.
The man reportedly fled into an apartment building as officers approached, and he was later found hiding under basement stairs, police said. Because of the amount of time the man was in a confined area with limited oxygen and a warm temperature, he was taken to a local hospital where he was treat- ed and released, police said.
The suspect was released from custody two days after his arrest on an armed robbery charge, according to police. Bond information was not available.
It is unusual for an armed robbery suspect to live so close to the targets, as most robbery offenders live outside the area and drive to the district to commit their crimes, officials said at the meeting.
Later this fall officers Scott and Deleon will be presented with the district’s “Officer of the Month” award at an advisory committee meeting.
At its Sept. 15 meeting, the committee presented the July award to officers Fazan Khan and Darren Grobner for their July 15 arrest of a suspect on gun-related charges in connection with a domestic dispute, police said. A gun and a bulletproof vest reportedly were found at the home, police said.
