A Lyft driver was beaten with a pistol by two teenagers who tried to carjack him in Lakeview after they ordered a ride via the service’s phone application early Sunday.
Another hijacking was reported Saturday evening in River North.
Lyft attack
The rideshare driver, who was left bleeding, managed to maintain control of his Lexus, and the offenders ran away on foot following the 1:36 a.m. attack in Lakeview.
It all happened in the 1100 block of West Oakdale when the 59-year-old driver responded to a Lyft ride request from an account user named “Meliqu,” according to a CPD report.
When he arrived at the pick-up location, two young men got into the Lexus, put a gun to his head, and then began beating him in the head with the weapon as they tried to take control of his luxury car.
But the driver refused to give up and a fight broke out, according to a CPD spokesperson. The offenders got out of the car and ran away westbound on Oakdale, then northbound on Racine.
The suspects are two Black males who are 13- to 15-years-old, the driver reported. They’re both about 5’6” tall and wore black North Face-brand winter coats.
CWBChicago has been reporting since November about the emerging problem of rideshare drivers being carjacked by criminals who order rides on stolen phones.
River North carjacking
A group of hijackers used two vehicles to box-in a driver as he sat in his parked car on the 100 block of West Kinzie around 6:35 p.m. Saturday, according to police.
Two men got out of one of the cars and ordered the 38-year-old victim out of his white 2018 Range Rover. The man followed their instructions and they took off westbound with his car.
Both of the accompanying cars also drove away. The victim’s Range Rover was spotted by CPD license plate readers about 45 minutes later in Little Italy.
Area Three detectives are investigating the Lakeview and River North cases.
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