Buffalo Grove police: Santa with ax a student film project

Buffalo Grove police Cmdr. Steve Husak admitted being shocked Thursday night when his department was called with claims that Santa Claus was running around a neighborhood with an ax.

“I remember hearing it over the radio and I said ‘Wow, that’s strange,’” he said with a laugh. “However, it all turned out all right. Santa wasn’t doing anything bad.”

He said officials were called to the 1400 block of Rachel Road about 10 p.m. Thursday with claims that four people were standing in front of a gold car that had the headlights on. Worse, he said, one of the four was dressed as Santa Claus and carrying an ax.

Officers went to the scene to discover four college students either filming a class project with a video camera or a short viral video for YouTube.

“The officers told them that location probably wasn’t the best place to shoot their film,” Husak said. “They had no problem with it and left the area.”

Husak said it’s always best to error on the side of caution and contact a village police department if a group is planning on doing something strange in an area of the village.

“Things like geocaching, scavenger hunts and filming viral videos can come off looking suspicious, but are truly harmless fun,” he said. “So, yes, it’s best to contact public officials should anyone ever plan on doing something that could raise suspicion.”

And, he added, if people see something suspicious, please contact police.

“The public is our eyes and ears, so people should be on the lookout for something suspicious,” he said. “Even if it’s something harmless, let public officials know.”