Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)—A Park Forest man allegedly punched a police officer, knocking him to the ground and cutting open the back of his head. He followed this by reportedly striking the officer twice more as the officer lay on the ground.
Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Beginning August 12, 2024.
Unlawful Delivery of Cannabis
Police arrested Larnell T. Weston, 40, of the 200 block of Miami St., Park Forest, on August 12 and charged him with unlawful delivery of cannabis 10 to 30 g, improper headlamps, and unlawful possession of cannabis.
An officer exited Elizabeth Ludeman Center in the 100 block of N. Orchard Dr., heading onto North Street at 10:34 PM. He saw a tan Chevrolet Tahoe eastbound on North Street with illuminated blue headlamps. The officer activated the emergency lights on his patrol vehicle and curbed the Chevy on North Street just west of Western Avenue.
He spoke with the driver, later identified as Larnell T. Weston, and told him why he pulled him over. Mr. Weston allegedly said he did not know it was illegal to have blue lights. He provided his license and insurance as requested. While speaking with Mr. Weston, the officer noted a strong odor of fresh cannabis coming from the vehicle and returned to his patrol vehicle.
Man is on Mandatory Supervised Release Parole
The officer conducted a LEADS inquiry and learned that Mr. Weston was on a Mandatory Supervised Release (MSR) Parole with the Illinois Department of Corrections. He also received an Officer Safety Alert from LEADS via SouthCom, which listed Mr. Weston as an alleged Criminal Gang Member—Gangster Disciples.
The officer went back to Mr. Weston and told him that since he was on MSR parole, he was subject to warrantless searches. He instructed Mr. Weston to exit the vehicle, and he complied.
The officer searched Mr. Weston’s person, which yielded no contraband. Asking if there was anything illegal in the vehicle, Mr. Weston related that there was some “weed” in the car. He then clarified that there was under an ounce of weed in a book bag, according to police.
Searching the Car
Searching for the vehicle. The officer located the following:
- Three multicolored Mylar Ziploc bags containing suspected cannabis.
- One clear Ziploc bag containing suspected cannabis,
- a black and white Mylar zipper bag containing “cookies,” containing suspected cannabis,
- one black digital scale with cannabis residue on it,
- and several empty Mylar as it bags, according to police.
The officer suspected that Mr. Weston was intending to street-level cannabis delivery, according to police. This was due to the individually packaged cannabis, along with the scale and empty bags, police said.
The officer returned to the car and read Mr. Weston his Miranda rights, which he allegedly acknowledged he understood. Mr. Weston then reportedly confirmed that he had a little weed himself and further admitted to selling weed to some of his friends for $20 a gram, according to police. Mr. Weston then allegedly said that he only sells a little bit under a gram, according to police.
The officer challenged Mr. Weston, stating that no one buys less than 1 g of cannabis at a time, police said.
Aggravated Battery of a Peace Officer
Police arrested Daniel C. Cantave, 40, of the first block of Woodland Glen, Park Forest, on August 13 and charged him with aggravated battery of a peace officer and criminal damage to property.
Police allege Mr. Cantave punched and knocked over an officer. The officer Mr. Cantave allegedly punched was working with his field training officer.
At approximately 3:33 PM, two officers responded to a business in the 100 block of Orchard Drive to investigate a complaint about criminal property damage. While on their way, SouthCom Dispatch advised officers that a suspected male offender, who was wearing all black, was still on the scene. Dispatch advised that the man allegedly damaged a window to a vehicle.
When police arrived, they spoke with a woman who alleged that a man damaged her car’s window. The man, later identified as Mr. Cantave, stood before Family Dollar. Officers began to approach Mr. Cantave when he allegedly began walking towards them in an “aggressive manner with his fists balled up,” according to the report.
The suspect allegedly punched an officer, knocking him to the ground.
Mr. Cantave ran towards one officer, allegedly yelling, “Get away from me,” and swung a closed fist at that officer, according to police. The other officer deployed his Taser 7 at Mr. Cantave. However, it was ineffective as Mr. Cantave was moving, according to police.
Mr. Cantave then allegedly punched the first officer in the face, knocking him to the ground. This officer hit his head on the pavement, police said.
While this officer was on the ground, Mr. Cantave allegedly ran up to him and punched the officer in the face two additional times with a closed fist, police said.
The second officer called for additional units and attempted to grab Mr. Cantave. The suspect then allegedly tried to punch the second officer. The officer deployed his Taser a second time; however, it was again ineffective as only one probe made contact, according to police.
Police said this officer told Mr. Cantave on at least seven occasions to get on the ground and that he was under arrest. Mr. Cantave allegedly refused to comply.
More Police Arrive
Two other officers then arrived on the scene. One of these officers successfully tasered Mr. Cantave. This caused Mr. Cantave to fall to the ground.
Police successfully grabbed Mr. Cantave and rolled him over onto his stomach, police said. They handcuffed him without further issue, police said.
The officer who fell suffered pain to his face, a laceration to the back of his head, a laceration to the left side of his face, near his eye, and pain in his lower back.
This officer later sought medical attention.
Aggravated Assault/Use of a Deadly Weapon
Police arrested Antione D. Fields, 38, of the 3800 block of Dolomite Dr., Eagan, MN, on August 14 and charged him with domestic battery and aggravated assault/use of a deadly weapon.
Police responded to Cedar Street at 2:29 AM to investigate a disturbance report. They approached the vehicle in Court C-9’s driveway and made contact with three men inside. According to police, one of these three was Antione Dante Fields.
Speaking with one of the men, an officer saw an ammunition round, later identified as a 40 mm round, on the floorboard of the front passenger side of the car. The officer also saw an empty bottle of beer on the driveway of Court C-9 and an empty bottle of an alcoholic beverage on the front passenger floorboard.
Police asked if there were any weapons in the car. Mr. Fields initially said there wasn’t. But then, seconds later, he allegedly related that there was a firearm in the vehicle, according to police.
Police asked the men to exit the vehicle. They complied.
Man Claims He Has a CCL.
Officers patted down both men. Mr. Fields told one officer he had a Minnesota concealed carry license (CCL). This officer contacted SouthCom Dispatch to conduct a LEADS search to confirm that this man had a CCL. Shortly after, SouthCom reported that there was no CCL on file for Mr. Fields, according to the police. Therefore, this officer temporarily detained Mr. Fields to investigate the validity of his CCL further.
After further investigation, the officer removed the handcuffs from Mr. Fields. Police conducted a probable cause search and discovered a Canik 9 mm semi-automatic pistol and one 40 mm ammunition round on the front passenger floorboard, according to the report.
Mr. Fields allegedly said that the pistol was his, but he was unsure where the 40 mm round came from, police said. Rechecking LEADS, the officer discovered that the semi-automatic pistol had no record on file, according to police.
Kicked Out of Strip Clubs
An officer saw that one of the men had a cut on his left eyelid. This officer asked him for further information on the nature of the wound. At the same time the officer made that inquiry, this man asked for medical attention for his wound, according to police.
He told police the three of them were out spending time at Atlantis Gentlemen’s Club in Ford Heights when they got kicked out. They then went to Club 390 in Chicago Heights. They got kicked out of that establishment as well, police said. After they got kicked out of Club 390, the man speaking with police alleged that Mr. Fields brandished a pistol and told him he was going to kill him, according to police.
From Club 390, they went to a gas station in Chicago Heights,, where the man asked the clerk to contact the police for him. Chicago Heights police responded and did not observe any signs of distress, according to police.
The three drove to Cedar Street, Court C9, in Park Forest. Once they arrived there, they got out of the car, and Mr. Fields allegedly punched the man in the face, according to the report.
One of the men showed police a video from his cell phone that reportedly illustrated Mr. Fields brandishing a gun and racking it while telling the other man he was going to kill him, according to police.
Police then informed Mr. Fields that they were arresting him on suspicion of domestic battery.
About Police Reports
Please note that we repeatedly say “according to police” in these reports and often use “allegedly.” We are not asserting in any way that those police arrested and charged committed any offenses. We report on what is in the reports that the police furnish to us. As those accused are innocent until proven guilty, the burden is on prosecutors and police to prove all alleged crimes.
eNews Park Forest has continuously published the addresses of those arrested and will continue to do so. 5 ILCS 140/2.15 states that the governmental body (for these reports, the Police Department), shall release information on those charged, including their name, age, and address. This information is necessary to ensure the proper identity of those arrested.
Presumption of Innocence
An arrest does not mean that a person is guilty. The law presumes all those whom police arrest are innocent until proven guilty. It is the policy of eNews Park Forest not to remove items from the public record from publication. Suppose you find your name in the police reports. Our policy is that we will only add information relevant to the final disposition of the case at hand, e.g., “Mr. Smith was subsequently acquitted,” “Mr. Smith entered a guilty plea,” or “All charges against Mr. Smith were subsequently dropped.” We will do so upon receiving and verifying proof of such disposition.
We do not strike, “unpublish,” or delete news.
According to police, officers captured all the incidents in this report on body-worn and dash-mounted cameras at the respective scenes. All Park Forest police officers wear body-worn cameras. Officials typically abbreviate these devices as BWC in the reports.
We encourage persons wishing to leave anonymous information on any criminal matters, including narcotics or gang activity, to call the Park Forest Police Department Investigations Division at (708) 748-1309.
