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South Street Neighbor Chases Would-be Burglars with Baseball Bat

Both men concealed their faces with bandanas.

Two men attempted to break into a home on the 400 block of East South Street at 7:40 p.m. June 28, Elmhurst police said.

Neighbors told police they saw the two men, who wore bandanas over their faces, trying the doors and windows of the home. One of the neighbors grabbed a baseball bat and chased them off. They left behind a bicycle. Police tracked the men with a K-9 unit, but they got away.


One suspect was described as having a red bandana covering his mouth, and  wearing dark clothing. The other man was wearing a white T-shirt with dark, very long, baggie jean shorts. He had a blue bandana covering his mouth. Witnesses described him as short and stocky, possibly Hispanic, with his hair shaved on the sides and longer on top.

The suspects did not gain access into the home and no damage was found.

Ralph June 29, 2012 at 07:21 pm
Too bad he didn't catch them, but then again he'd wind up national news with the Reverends on his back.
Lana M. June 29, 2012 at 09:08 pm
What a great neighbor to have!
Vincent Russell June 30, 2012 at 02:09 am
The best weapon is 911, then the bat.
Jim Beaumont June 30, 2012 at 02:42 am
Yep 911 is the best approach. Ralph, I need clarification....
an Elmhurst mom June 30, 2012 at 01:46 pm
Awesome job to the neighbor that chased them. You make our town that much safer and I'm glad we have you in it!
Ken July 1, 2012 at 12:56 am
Bandana's are the masks of choice by Hispanics. The neighbor is lucky these guys weren't packing any heat.
Ken July 1, 2012 at 01:01 am
South is a street with very expensive homes and runs parallel to the Prairie Path. As a frequent runner and biker on the path I am well aware of the suspicious looking characters on it coming from the east.
Katie Paul July 1, 2012 at 02:22 pm
Let's be nice, people. Please don't judge our neighbors by the direction they are going on the Prairie Path or the cut of their hair. How do you know? Maybe they are biking through because they crave quiet and greenery that their town doesn't offer, or maybe they have just really bad fashion sense. It isn't like Elmhurst is a walled city with good guys on the inside and hoards of no-gooders on the outside. I understand fear and the need for protection, but In my opinion we should discipline our fear, limiting that emotion to fear of the crime, not fear of the person who fits a stereotypical description. Criminals come in all shapes and sizes, after all.
Joseph Glynn July 1, 2012 at 03:03 pm
I always liked Batman better than Robbin
Ken July 1, 2012 at 03:22 pm
There's a reason why Elmhurst has police on bicycles up and down the Prairie Path. These guys left a bike at the scene which points to the probability that they came down the path with the intention of committing a crime. The most common crimes involve youths coming down the path on a beat up old bike, see a kid riding a new one, knock him off and steal his bike leaving theirs behind. The other is seeing whose garage is left open and doing a dash and steal before the owner comes out.

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People Amaze Me June 14, 2013 at 08:41 am
I agree with you but I don't know if we as just citizen's can do anything to stop that practice. IRead More wish that each cyclist had to have a license, and that it was enforced by laws and police, on the bike so that people could report occurrences and have the person receive a ticket just like a person driving an auto. That would make sense.
Jennifer MacKenzie June 14, 2013 at 08:43 am
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