Federal charges have been filed against a man who allegedly carjacked a West Town driver at gunpoint and then crashed the stolen car into a Divvy bike rider on May 27.
Elias Figueroa, 19, and an unnamed juvenile each displayed handguns and carjacked a Chevy Tahoe as its 45-year-old owner cleaned the vehicle in the 1200 block of North Cleaver, police said at the time.Â
About three hours later, Figueroa was driving the Tahoe when he struck a man who was riding a Divvy bike on the 1300 block of West Hubbard, police said. The crash impact reportedly threw the bicyclist onto the hood of a car that was traveling in a traffic lane.
During Figueroa’s bond court appearance in May, a state prosecutor said the Divvy bike rider suffered spinal injuries, a ruptured artery, and remained intubated.
Bystanders tackled Figueroa and the boy, holding them both for police, state prosecutors said during the May hearing.Â
Today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago took over Figueroa’s case after a grand jury returned federal carjacking and firearms charges against him. The federal carjacking charge carries a sentence of up to 25 years in prison, and the federal gun count brings a minimum seven-year sentence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The juvenile continues to face state charges of felony aggravated vehicular hijacking with a firearm.
