Video has emerged of a daring confrontation between an alleged carjacking victim and a man who is reportedly taking her car while armed with a gun. The hijacking took place at 11:50 a.m. on May 19 in West Town, according to a CPD report.
A 49-year-old woman told police that a man punched her, took her purse, and then got into her Chevy Cruze, which was parked nearby on the 400 block of North Artesian, Officer Anthony Spicuzza said.
That’s where the video begins. Watch:
As a woman screams in the video, another woman and a man pull the driver’s door open, and the man begins kicking the alleged carjacker. The hijacker throws the car into reverse, then speeds forward as people try to pull him from the vehicle. But he gets away.
A photo of the alleged carjacker shows he is wearing clear latex gloves on his hands, and he appears to have a gun as he sits in the vehicle. The woman who was attacked suffered a cut to her ear, but no serious injuries were reported.
Spicuzza said no arrests have been made in the case.
While carjacking reports have declined from the record high of 225 cases during January, they continue to be reported at a pace far ahead of last year, according to city statistics:
- Two armed carjackings were reported in about ten minutes on Saturday night — one downtown and the other in Old Town, according to police.
- Around 4 a.m. Saturday, a hijacker ordered a man out of his Toyota Camry as he waited for a traffic signal to change at Devon and Damen in West Rogers Park, according to police. The offender was wearing a sky blue hoodie and a ski mask, the victim said. Police believe a light-colored SUV driven by an accomplice was involved in the crime.
- A driver was carjacked on a parking lot near Columbus and Illinois around 6:15 a.m. Friday. The hijacking was part of a 15-robbery spree that at least one armed crew committed in about 9 hours.
- Three teenagers are charged with an armed carjacking that unfolded Wednesday night on the 7700 block of North Marshfield.
- Last Sunday, a gunman forced a 25-year-old driver from his car on the 1500 block of North Damen in Wicker Park.
