On Tuesday, our units were conducting an anti-gun violence operation in the Village West and received information about a suspect that was delivering drugs to the Grove. The units were able to apprehend WM Ilitch Munoz for sale of cocaine. The investigation revealed the suspect was armed with a .357 revolver and was also in possession of steroids. The officers were surprised to learn that the suspect had used his job as an Uber driver to solicit drug buyers. I am extremely proud of our units for taking a gun off our streets.
As the above incident was developing, I received a call from a resident on Coconut Ave in the Center Grove. He advised that a suspicious male was looking into vehicles. Units responded to the area and were able to contact BM James Taylor. The officers were able to develop probable cause to effect the arrest. A record check revealed Mr. Taylor has been previously arrested for breaking into cars. Kudos to the alert resident that diligently called the police and likely prevented a crime in our community.
A few moments ago, one of our grove units on a traffic detail conducted a stop of an individual for a moving violation at Grand Ave and Matilda. The alert officer detected a strong smell of marijuana, he investigated a little deeper and discovered a sizable amount of marijuana. The offender was arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to sell.
In closing, I have received numerous calls from concerned residents about the continuing explosions and fireworks rocking our community for the past few weeks and I am aware of the disruption it is causing. Our units have saturated the area but have failed to locate the perpetrators. I have tasked one of our supervisors and his team to employ the use of undercover vehicle to covertly search for the offenders. Rest assure that our team will continue to seek the violators until we can restore peace and quiet to our community. If you know who is responsible please call 911 or send me a direct message.
A final reminder to Park Smart – park your car in a safe location, remove all valuables and LOCK your doors.
Stay Safe.
Cmdr. Manny Morales
