An Ellis Avenue woman went into labor as she was talking to police officers about her apartment being burglarized.
According to a police report, officers were dispatched to the apartment at 3101 Ellis Avenue last Thursday morning on a a reported burglary. They spoke with the pregnant woman who said that she had received a phone call from her 11-year-old son saying that someone had forced their way into the apartment. The woman told police that the boy had been home alone, so the woman called her sister, who lives next door and asked her to check on the boy.
When the woman arrived at the apartment her sister told her that the rear door was unlocked and the front door had been forced open. The woman told police that she was missing a front door key. The woman told police that nothing appeared to be missing from the apartment but the majority of the unit had been ransacked.
According to the report, while officers were speaking with the woman, “she appeared very distressed and started experiencing contractions, due to her pregnancy.” Police requested EMS and the East Ridge Fire Department to respond for a medical evaluation. The woman was transported to Parkridge East Hospital for Treatment.
Investigators then spoke with the boy, who told them he was asleep in his bedroom when he heard the sound of what he thought was someone “picking the lock” to the apartment. The boy said he then heard movement in the apartment and saw a black male wearing a partial mask, a dark, hooded sweatshirt and dark pants walk into his room. The boy told investigators that the intruder claimed to be a police officer and asked him “do you know where your dad keeps the drugs?” The intruder then asked the boy, “do you know where our mom keeps the money?”
According to the report, the boy told the intruder “no” to both questions. The boy said he then tried to call his mom but the intruder came back into the bedroom and told the boy to surrender his cell phone and put his head under the blanket. The boy complied.
The report states that after a period of time had passed and the boy believed the intruder had left, he called his mom and told her what happened.
Investigators spoke with people at the apartment complex who said they saw a newer-model dark gray Chevrolet Impala or Malibu with dark tinted windows park close to the victim’s apartment. There was no further description of a possible suspect or of the vehicle.
Prior to being taken to the hospital, the pregnant woman told police that her ex-boyfriend had recently moved out of the apartment and could have taken the key she was missing. The woman believes the ex-boyfriend may be involved in the incident. The report states that woman advised officers that her ex-boyfriend has a criminal history.
The investigation into the burglary is ongoing and has been assigned to a detective, the report states.
Last November, police responded to the same address on a reported home invasion, records show. During this incident, two black males had forced their way into an apartment and demanded the victims “give it up.” When the victims hesitated, one suspect began firing a weapon, striking the male victim in the thumb. The suspects then fled in an unknown vehicle.
