A 34-year-old Wisconsin man who was arrested for allegedly breaking into a vehicle in Lincoln Park was back in custody less than 30 hours later, this time accused of terrorizing two families in the neighborhood during back-to-back attempted home invasions and burglaries, prosecutors said.
Chicago police first arrested Akram Akbar, of Beloit, Wisconsin, around 9:35 a.m. Sunday, August 3, in the 2100 block of North Stockton Drive. He was charged with criminal trespass to a vehicle and released from the Near North (18th) District police station less than eight hours later.
But his freedom was short-lived.
At 11:45 a.m. the next day, officers responded to a “suspicious person” call in the 1900 block of North Clark Street.
According to an arrest report, a woman told officers she was in her garage when Akbar approached, grabbed her by the arm, and tried to force his way through the door connecting to her home. She broke free and ran to her door, but Akbar followed her, the report said. Joined by her partner, the woman managed to keep Akbar out of their home while their children were inside.
Responding officers noticed an open door across the alley from the victim’s home and decided to investigate. A second woman at that location told them she had just pulled into her garage when Akbar tried to open her driver’s door, but it was locked. When that failed, she said, he used his body weight to force open the door to her residence and went inside while her husband and children scrambled to safety.
Officers found Akbar hiding in the basement bathroom. They said they recovered a knife and three credit cards belonging to the first victim from his pants pocket.
Cook County Judge Susana Ortiz ordered Akbar detained on two counts of burglary. While Akbar has no criminal history in Chicago, the same cannot be said for his home state. Records show he is on court supervision for theft in Wisconsin.
