A woman was carjacked outside her workplace in the Loop on Wednesday morning, according to a CPD report. The hijacking came just four hours after Chicago Police Supt. David Brown tweeted that monthly carjackings “are down 70% in Chicago since January 1.”
Wednesday’s victim, age 34, was sitting in her parked car on the 200 block of East Lower Randolph when a man tapped on her window with a handgun and ordered her out of the vehicle, CPD spokesperson Sally Bown said.
The woman, who was not injured, got out and ran away while the offender drove off with her red 2012 Honda Civic, according to Bown. Police said the suspect is a Black male in his 20’s who stands about 5’11” tall. He was wearing a gray hoodie.
Earlier on Wednesday evening, Brown claimed the city’s carjacking reports are down 70% since January “while total arrests have nearly tripled.”
CPD data shows the department logged 45 hijackings during the first thirteen days of April, the most recent dates for which information is available. By comparison, the first 13 days of March logged 39 cases, while February saw 67 and January racked up 96, according to the data.
Nonetheless, carjackings are still being reported at a faster pace than last year. Through April 13th, reports are up 36% for the month compared to the same period last year. There were 84 hijackings last month compared to 57 in March 2020.
Chicago police have announced dozens of arrests in carjacking cases this year. The vast majority of arrests involve juveniles. Brown praised “our partners at the county, state and federal levels, along with our community partners” for the surge in arrests.
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