Four more rideshare drivers were carjacked Wednesday after picking up passengers and delivering them to destinations across Chicago, police said. Now, CPD is again warning about hijackers who are luring Uber and Lyft drivers into armed robberies via the companies’ apps.
Police said a 64-year-old rideshare driver picked up four passengers in the 1900 block of North Damen in Bucktown around 7:45 Wednesday evening and drove them to their destination in the 2900 block of West Walton.
When they arrived, the passengers forced him out of his Toyota and drove away with the vehicle, police said.
Another rideshare driver was carjacked on the same block around 2:15 a.m. Saturday, January 16, according to a CPD alert.
Two other rideshare and taxi hijackings were reported Wednesday evening: on the 1900 block of North Rockwell in Logan Square at 9 p.m. and the on the 2500 block of West Chicago in West Town at 9:42 p.m., police said.
The robbers are two Black men between 18- and 25-years-old and two Black women between 16- and 18-years-old who stand 5’5” to 5’7” and weigh 110 to 115 pounds, according to investigators.
Anyone with information about these crimes can contact Area Three detectives at 312-744-8263 regarding pattern P21-3-016.
Separate from the pattern, a fourth rideshare driver was also carjacked Wednesday, CPD records show.
The 32-year-old Uber driver told police he picked up two men in Riverdale and drove them to the 7200 block of South Bennett in the South Shore neighborhood around 1:15 a.m. When he stopped to drop them off, one of the passengers ordered him out of his 2013 Toyota Camry at gunpoint, police said. They also took his wallet.
CWB first reported on the rideshare carjacking pattern in November. CPD issued a warning about rideshare carjackings in Wicker Park last week.
Neither Lyft nor Uber has responded to multiple inquiries from CWBChicago seeking comments about the crime pattern and what their drivers can do to keep themselves safe.