Park Forest, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Police charged a Park Forest man with reckless discharge of a firearm after a report of shots fired on Springfield Street. The man allegedly became upset when a woman told him she had no desire to be with him. The alleged victim said the man reportedly shot at her after she said he was too quick in a previous encounter. She said the man got angry when she complained about a different type of reckless discharge.
This report wraps up a rather busy week for our officers as summer wound down.
Last of the Park Forest Police Blotter Reports Through August 21, 2023
Reckless Discharge of a Firearm
Police arrested Tushar J. Melendrez, 28, 331 N. Orchard Blvd., Park Forest, on August 21 and charged him with reckless discharge of a firearm.
Police responded to Springfield Street at 5:47 AM on August 21 to investigate a report of shots fired. SouthCom told officers that the complainant told dispatch that someone shot at her friend and slapped her. This allegedly happened while they were in the driveway of a home in the 400 block of Springfield Street, according to police.
The complainant later told dispatch that the incident occurred approximately one hour before she called 911, according to police.
The Story
When police arrived, they found two women standing in the middle of the street. Police identified both as the complainants. While the women were speaking with the police, two men exited the front door of the home where the police and women were standing, according to police. One of them was Tushar Melendrez, according to police.
Police commanded both men to place their hands in the air and walked toward them, according to police. Both men did so, and police detained them, according to police.
One of the complainants positively identified Mr. Melendrez as the alleged offender who fired the weapon and slapped her, according to police.
Police arrested Mr. Melendrez and took him to the Park Forest Police Department, according to the report.
One of the women told police she believed the shot was fired approximately two hours before police arrived, according to the report. She allegedly saw Mr. Melendrez holding a pistol in an upward position and heard one gunshot, according to police. She did not observe Mr. Melendrez point the weapon at the complainant, nor did she see Mr. Melendrez allegedly slap her, according to police.
Police spoke with the alleged victim that Mr. Melendrez allegedly shot at. She said she refused to have sex with him, according to police. She reportedly told him she didn’t want to have sex with him “due to his poor sexual performance during their first sexual encounter,” according to the report. She allegedly said, “‘She didn’t want a quickie,’ insinuating that he was quick during their last sexual encounter,” according to police.
Report: A Gunshot and a Slap
According to the report, after she refused to have sex with Mr. Melendrez, she began to walk away from him down the driveway. She then heard a gunshot, according to police.
After the gunshot, Mr. Melendrez allegedly walked up to her and said, “You scared, you scared.” He then allegedly slapped her on the left side of her face with an open hand.
After the gunshot and alleged slap, all four went into the residence to continue hanging out, according to police. Mr. Melendrez allegedly “continued to behave unruly and was threatening” to the woman he reportedly slapped, according to the report. According to the report, Mr. Melendrez allegedly threatened the woman who would not have sex with him, saying, “I’ll slap the shit out of you again bitch. Why are
you still here? Get out.”
That is when the alleged victim called 911, according to the report.
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 who police arrest are innocent until proven guilty. It is the policy of eNews Park Forest to not remove items in 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.
Police captured all the incidents in this report on body-worn and dash-mounted cameras by officers at the respective scenes, according to police. All Park Forest police officers wear body-worn cameras. Officials abbreviate these devices typically 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.
