Page 43 - January 2021

CPMF award recognizes 6th District officers
n BY DAN CAMPANA
What started with an investigation of a stolen vehicle ended with 6th District officers nabbing a convicted felon who, while fleeing police, broke into the home of an elderly couple.
In recognition of their efforts, officers Cesar Villalobos and Robert Guerra, as well as Sergeant Kevin Sellers, earned the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation Officers of the Month award for Decem- ber.
On April 14, Villalobos and Guer- ra were on patrol near 79th and Evans when they spotted a parked vehicle they recognized as having been reported sto- len. The pair approached the vehicle in an attempt to identify the occupants, one of whom they knew to be a wanted offender who had run from police a few days earlier.
The offender fled on foot as Guerra and Villalobos tried to take him into cus- tody, which set off a search that included Sellers and other officers, who respond- ed when Guerra radioed for assistance. Officers then learned the offender was wanted in connection to a home inva- sion. Guerra lost sight of the man in the 7900 block of South Langley, but a grid
search located the offender nearby, and a chase ensued until the offender was seen in the backyard of a home on South Evans.
After being ordered to surrender, the man jumped a fence and ran onto the rear porch of an apartment building, where he placed an object under a piece of carpet. Authorities said the man then began to violently kick at the back door of a first-floor apartment. Officers cre- ated a perimeter around the front and rear of the apartment when an elderly woman ran out the front door in a panic as she yelled that someone was kicking in her door. An elderly man who, like the woman, is in his 70s, remained inside the apartment in a room near the kitchen.
Officers then entered the apartment and made their way into the kitchen, where they could see the offender at-
tempting to kick the door in. The man was taken into custody and found to be in possession of ecstasy and a black ski mask. Additionally, Guerra recovered a loaded .357 Magnum from underneath the rug on the rear porch where the of- fender had been.
Officers and investigators learned the offender wore a black mask during the earlier home invasion, during which a revolver was stolen. Charges were even- tually filed in that case against the man, while he was found to be wanted on a stolen vehicle charge from Champaign and had a warrant for a parole violation.
Chicago Police Memorial Foundation Executive Director Phil Cline praised the coordination by the officers involved to prevent another home invasion, while helping the investigation result in crim- inal charges.
“The officers risked their own lives to save an elderly couple from harm by an armed habitual felon,” Cline said. “The teamwork that occurred during this sit- uation is something that happens every day within the Chicago Police Depart- ment. We are proud of these officers and thankful that they were able to appre- hend the suspect without injury.”
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