A suburban man was carjacked at gunpoint as he sat outside a Dunkin location near Goose Island on Wednesday morning, according to a CPD report.
Police spokesperson Kellie Bartoli said the 32-year-old victim was sitting in his SUV on the 800 block of North Milwaukee around 6:15 a.m. when the offender opened his driver’s door and ordered him out of the car at gunpoint.
He complied, and the hijacker drove off with his blue 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The victim’s phone, which was also taken, later pinged near the 1900 block of North Paulina in Bucktown, but police have not yet located the car or the offender. CPD did not release a description of the hijacker.
Arrests made, carjackings still high
Chicago police have announced carjacking charges against dozens of people in recent weeks, mostly juveniles. Those arrests have slowed carjacking reports compared to some recent months, but March’s hijacking pace is still almost 50% higher than the same month last year, according to CPD data.
Police recorded 64 carjackings between March 1 and March 23 this year. That compares to 44 during the same period in 2020 and 19 cases in 2019.
Cops logged 403 hijackings this year through March 23. By comparison, there were 185 during the same period last year and 101 in 2019.
But, to borrow one of CPD’s favorite public relations phrases, there has been a “decrease in the increase” of carjacking reports during March.
The 64 cases seen through the first 23 days of the month is an improvement over the 104 cases reported during the first 23 days of February and the 184 hijackings in the first 23 days of January.