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| Savion Canty is accused of being the getaway driver in an armed carjacking near this parking lot behind the Chicago Hilton Hotel. | Chicago Police Department; Google |
On this Independence Day, few people are likely enjoying their freedom more than Savion Canty. Charged with Class X felony aggravated carjacking with a weapon, Canty was being held without bail—until Tuesday.
That’s when Cook County Judge Marvin Luckman allowed him to go free by posting a $2,000 deposit. Canty, 20, did that right away.
On April 11th of last year, a 32-year-old man from Country Club Hills stepped out of the Hilton Chicago Hotel and went to pay for another night of parking in a nearby lot. Canty pulled up in a white Dodge Charger and 25-year-old Phillip Smith got out and approached the victim with a handgun, prosecutors said.
Police say Smith ordered the victim to hand over his wallet and keys. The man did. Then Smith walked over to the man’s Dodge Durango, got in, and drove away. Canty allegedly followed behind in the Charger with a juvenile in the back seat.
Adding to the victim’s disappointment: A jacket that he just bought for his son was inside the car. The man went back to the hotel and called the police.
A few days later, the victim saw a picture of his stolen SUV on Facebook. The poster wanted to know if anybody recognized it because it had just been used in a bump-and-run carjacking of his cousin.
After a little more Facebook detective work, the victim said he found a video that was posted four days after he was carjacked. He said the video showed his Durango and the juvenile from Canty’s back seat. The juvenile was wearing the jacket that the victim had purchased for his son.
Smith was arrested last May. Charged with Class X felony vehicular hijacking with a firearm and Class X felony robbery, he was ordered held on $1,000,000 bail by Judge Adam Bourgeois.
Last week, police in the Austin neighborhood stopped a car for a traffic violation. Canty was in the back seat. According to court records, officers “immediately knew” that Canty was wanted in connection with the carjacking. He was arrested.
Canty appeared in court the next day and prosecutors charged him with Class X felony aggravated vehicular hijacking with a weapon. The court’s pretrial services division, which collects information to help judges make bail decisions, recommended that Canty be under “maximum conditions” if he is released before trial.
Judge Stephanie Miller ordered him held without bail.
Tuesday morning, Canty was taken to court for a routine hearing before Judge Luckman, a long-sitting Cook County Judge whose defendant-friendly decisions have earned him the nickname “Let ‘em go Luckman.”
After reviewing the case, Luckman nixed Canty’s no-bond status and set bail at $20,000. Canty went free later the same day by posting a 10% deposit. He is due back in Luckman’s court on July 20th. We’ll keep you posted.
