La Grange Attempted Murder Suspect Urinated On Church Statue: Cops
LA GRANGE, IL – A person urinated on a La Grange church statue and then twice rammed a bicyclist who was taking a photo, authorities said.
The suspect was identified as 43-year-old Lelu Reiter of Chicago Ridge. The suspect, whose gender was listed as unknown, was charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery and criminal property damage.
Patch obtained the police report through a public records request.
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About 12:30 p.m. June 22, a bicyclist saw Reiter urinating on the statue of the Virgin Mary at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 124 N. Spring Ave., police said.
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The bicyclist, a 53-year-old man, circled around to take photos of Reiter, who was then inside a car.
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Reiter became confrontational and told the bicyclist, “Don’t take my picture. I’m a police officer,” according to the report.
Reiter then pulled away, reversed the car at high speed and struck the bicyclist, knocking him to the ground, police said.
Reiter then slammed into the bicyclist again, dragging the bike underneath the car, police said.
Realizing Reiter was trying to kill him, the 53-year-old ran for the church steps, in an attempt to get to higher ground, the report said.
At this point, Reiter drove up on a driveway, ran into a neighbor’s bushes and then left, police said.
La Grange officers gathered video in the area and arrested Reiter five days later at Reiter’s Chicago Ridge apartment, police said.
Reiter waived the right to remain silent and agreed to give a statement.
The village blacked out the part of the report with Reiter’s statement, although it’s unclear why. Patch has emailed an inquiry to the village. Most towns typically release such information.
Police said Reiter damaged the car by ramming the bicyclist. They said Reiter was seen on video removing the damaged bumper at a gas station in La Grange Park.
The police report did not indicate the victim’s condition.
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