A man was charged with breaking into a garage and burglarizing a vehicle early Thursday in west suburban Riverside.
Officers were dispatched at 2:13 a.m. to a burglar alarm in the 300 block of Shenstone Road, according to Riverside police. Upon arrival, officers discovered that the alarm was coming from a garage, at which point one of the officers saw a Hispanic male wearing all black riding a bicycle “at a high rate of speed” from the garage.
After his first attempt to stop the suspect proved unsuccessful, the officer tried to cut the bicyclist off with his squad car, police said. The suspect then jumped off his bicycle and ran. Following a short foot chase, officers caught him in the 400 block of Shenstone Road.
During the chase, officers continued to receive 911 calls stating that someone was running in backyards close to where the burglary happened, police said. Officers later determined the calls were about the male suspect they had apprehended.
Officers then showed up at the scene of the burglary, where the victim positively identified the burglar, police said. The suspect told police that his name was Christian, but refused to offer his last name. During an investigation, it was learned that the 2005 Volvo parked inside the garage that had been burglarized also sustained damage.
In addition, the Trek 800 bike that the burglar was riding didn’t belong to him, police said. Officers believe the bike was stolen, but were unable to identify a victim. Officers also found the suspect with an iPhone, black Prada sunglasses, two sets of keys that weren’t his and other electronic devices and credit cards stolen from the vehicle in the 300 block of Shenstone. They also recovered $38 in cash and change that was taken from the vehicle.
The suspect was taken to the Riverside Police Department for further investigation and booking, police said. While in custody, he refused to cooperate with police “in every manner,” including refusing to give his name or any other identification. A fingerprint check later revealed his identity.
Christian A. Benavides-Acevedo, 18, of Melrose Park, was charged with a felony count of burglary and misdemeanor counts of criminal trespass to vehicle and criminal damage to vehicle, police said. Benevides-Acevedo had already been arrested 14 times for a variety of offenses, including burglary, theft, robbery, unlawful use of weapon, battery, aggravated battery and drugs.
