A 20-year-old who’s charged with using a dating app to lure a suburban man into an armed carjacking Tuesday on the South Side was released on a recognizance bond less than a month ago after cops allegedly caught him driving a stolen car, court records show.
Edward Fleming is now charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking with a firearm, felony armed robbery, felony possession of a stolen motor vehicle, and felony aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in connection with the latest crime.
A 22-year-old Joliet man told police he drove to West Pullman around 8 a.m. Tuesday to meet with a woman he found via a dating app. When he arrived, a 14-year-old girl directed him to another location where Fleming allegedly pointed a gun at the victim and racked its slide. The 17-year-old male then punched the victim in the face, police said.
The trio then took the man’s phone, car keys, and stole his car, according to police.
Cops found Fleming driving the victim’s Nissan Altima nearby and pulled him over, according to CPD records. Officers said they could see a handgun lying in the open inside the car. Investigators later determined the gun was stolen in south suburban Lynwood, according to a police report.
The 17-year-old male is charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking with a firearm and misdemeanor battery. The girl is charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking with a firearm. No further information is available about the juveniles because they are shielded by state law.
Fleming was due in bond court on Wednesday.
Court records show Judge Arthur Willis released Fleming on his own recognizance Jan. 29 after prosecutors charged him with felony possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
Police said they pulled Fleming over in an Aurora man’s Ford Fusion on Jan. 28 after their squad car’s license plate reader indicated that the vehicle was stolen. Officer said Fleming was wearing a ski mask on his head and he had a “Friday the 13th”-style “Jason” mask in the back seat.