An attempted burglary occurred Friday, April 30, at 10:19 p.m. on the 1400 block of East 54th Place. A University Police officer on patrol observed two men acting in a suspicious manner in an alley, apparently casing residential homes in the vicinity of 54th Place, Blackstone Avenue, and Dorchester Avenue. The officer notified other officers and set up a perimeter to keep the individuals under careful observation. After 40 minutes, the suspects went into the rear of a home on the 1400 block of East 54th Place. An officer observed them as one of the men tried to pry open the rear door with a tool and then began banging on it with his shoulder. The homeowners, upon hearing the banging, turned on the lights. The individuals then ran away. The officers managed to take one of the men into custody while the other escaped on foot. The second man was subsequently taken into custody on a different date. Both suspects have been charged with attempted burglary. The Area One Property Crimes detectives are currently continuing the investigation while investigating other burglaries that occurred over the past month to see if those crimes were perpetrated by these men. The men have been identified as Ernest M. Bohanon, 34, of the 5400 block of South Cornell Avenue, and Andrew Thompson, 37, of the 9600 block of South Bishop Street.

A strong-arm robbery occurred on Saturday, May 1, at 5:25 p.m. on the 1100 block of East 56th Street. A man walking along 56th Street was approached by another man from across the road. The approaching offender then tried to solicit money from him. When he refused, the offender struck him to the ground and repeatedly beat him with his fist until he had the victim’s wallet. The offender then fled, after which the victim got up, saw a University police car driving nearby, and reported the incident to the officers. The offender was subsequently spotted, taken into custody, and identified by the victim. The victim of a different robbery that occurred on April 29 recognized the suspect as his attacker, identified as Marshawn Martin, 17. Martin is considered an adult in the eyes of Illinois criminal law. His trial is expected to take place on May 7 at 9 a.m. The wallet stolen during the May 1 robbery was recovered when the police apprehended Martin.