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| Euring’s latest mugshot (inset) representing the seventh and eighth taxi-related thefts he’s accused of committing. |
Last Wednesday, we told you about Darreece Euring, the Washington Park man who had been accused of stealing money from six different downtown tax drivers since November.
Euring failed to show up for a court appearance in connection with one of those thefts on Friday. He missed the 2:30 p.m. court call because he had been arrested two hours earlier for stealing money from two more taxi drivers downtown.
Yes, really.
Just before noontime on Friday, cops on patrol saw a taxi driver chasing Euring in the 300 block of South Michigan, according to their report. The officers caught Euring and the cabbie explained that Euring had just stolen $59 from the driver’s side door of his taxi, police said.
Cops allegedly found the cash in the 21-year-old’s pants pocket.
When officers ran Euring’s name through a database, they reportedly discovered a warrant out for his arrest in connection with another theft from a cabbie on May 8th. That time, Euring stole a cab driver’s phone at State and Madison, according to prosecutors.
The state’s attorney stepped up the charges against Euring in the latest two cases, slapping him with two counts of felony burglary in addition to two theft charges. Judge Sophia Atcherson said Euring could go free on a recognizance bond if he qualifies for electronic monitoring.
Meanwhile, the court hearing that Euring missed on Friday was held yesterday. In a deal worked out with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to theft of services and a theft charge was dropped. Judge Marvin Luckman sentenced him to four days time served.
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| A collection of Euring’s previous taxi-related mugshots. | Chicago Police Department |
According to court records, Euring was previously accused of stealing from taxi drivers in the Loop on:
• November 5 — Accused of distracting a Near North taxi driver and stealing $125 from the cab’s center console. The cabbie failed to appear in court and charges were dropped.
• November 30 — Cops in the Loop were flagged down by a taxi driver who identified Euring as the man who failed to pay for a cab ride and then stole a bundle of cash from the taxi’s front seat. Cops said Euring was carrying $27 in one dollar bills at the time of his arrest. Judge Anthony Calabrese sentenced Euring to eight days time served.
• December 16 — Euring was arrested in the Loop after he refused to pay for a short cab ride. He was not accused of stealing any money from the driver this time. Prosecutors dropped the case.
• March 12 — A cabbie flagged down cops on the Mag Mile and reported he picked up Euring and a woman at Water Tower Place. After traveling one block, Euring allegedly said: “forget it, I’ll grab an Uber.” While the woman distracted the driver, Euring allegedly grabbed the cabbie’s phone from the front seat and fled.
While police were talking with that driver, another cabbie pulled up and said that the two people in his back seat had just tried to steal his phone from the center console. Guess who the two people in the back seat were? Yep! Euring and the woman.
Police said they removed Euring from the second cab as he “clenched his fists, grit his teeth and advanced toward second cabbie saying ‘You want to fight? I will kick your ass.’”
Euring was charged with theft, attempted theft, and assault. Judge Calabrese sentenced him to fourteen days minus eight days time served.
• April 1 — What were you doing on Easter morning? According to prosecutors, Euring was in the Loop stealing from a taxi driver. Police say a taxi driver flagged them down in the 200 block of North Wells around 11 a.m. and reported that his passenger had begun kicking the back of his seat, saying he had lost his phone in the cab. When the cabbie pulled over to help the passenger look for his phone, the man reached into the taxi’s center console, removed $43, and walked away without paying his fare, the driver said. Cops caught up with Euring whose alleged “verbal admission” was captured on police body cameras, according to court records. This is the case that Euring missed on Friday while he was being charged in the two new cases.
