An off-duty Chicago police officer opened fire on a suspected carjacker who pointed a gun at him in Uptown on Sunday evening, according to a CPD report. No injuries were reported and the cop maintained control of his car in the incident, which unfolded just minutes after another armed carjacking was reported in West Rogers Park. Last week, police warned residents of that neighborhood about a series of armed carjackings in the area and nearby communities.
The 37-year-old off-duty cop was in the passenger seat of an Audi A3 when a man walked up, asked him if he wanted some crack, and then pointed a handgun at him on the 1200 block of West Ainslie around 11:31 p.m., according to a CPD report.
The officer drew his own gun and fired three shots through the car’s window at the offender, who ran away southbound on Magnolia, the report said. Police searched the area for the suspect, but they came up empty-handed.
He is described as a six-foot-tall Black male who wore a dark hoodie closed tightly around his face by a white drawstring. He also wore green pants and a blue surgical mask.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating the firearm discharge, according to a CPD statement.
About 20 minutes before the off-duty officer was targeted, a woman was carjacked at gunpoint on the 6700 block of North Rockwell. The woman was in front of her home when a man got out of a black Lexus, robbed her of her Apple Watch, keys, and phone, and drove away with her black 2019 Ford Fusion, according to a CPD report. The Lexus followed him.
The victim described the carjacker as a skinny Black male who stands 5’11” tall wearing a dark hoodie with a face mask.
Chicago police are investigating an ongoing string of carjackings in West Rogers Park and Lincoln Square.
Detectives issued a community alert late last week that said the pattern involves a gunman who targets people as they sit in or step out of parked cars. Police said the man walks up to victims, displays a handgun, and demands their keys, wallets, and phones. He also orders victims to unlock their phones, and, in two instances, he forced victims to change their phone passwords, according to the alert. The man then drives away with the victim’s car.
According to the alert and CWB’s previous reporting, the pattern involves hijackings:
- in the 6200 block of North Whipple at 2:51 a.m. on July 10
- in the 3000 block of West Hood around 7:45 p.m. on July 19. The hijacker stepped out of a white Volkswagen, pushed a woman, and took her Lexus RX350.
- in the 5200 block of North Washtenaw at 10:30 p.m. on July 19, a carjacker displayed a handgun and took a man’s blue Hyundai Sonata on the 5200 block of North Washtenaw.
- at 10:45 p.m. on July 19, a man got out of a white Volkswagen and took a woman’s red Nissan Rogue at gunpoint on the 2500 block of West Fitch
- around 11:15 p.m. on July 20, two 19-year-old men were sitting inside a black Lexus RX350 on the 3000 block of West North Shore when a hijacker walked up and demanded their property and the car’s keys at gunpoint.
- at 10:30 p.m. on July 20, a man displayed a gun and demanded the victim’s money and phone on the 7000 block of North Rockwell.
Other carjackings and attempted hijackings have also been reported in the same areas around these times, but police did not publicly link those incidents to the crime pattern.
According to the CPD alert, the suspect is a Black male between 20- and 30-years-old who stands 5’6″ to 5’10” tall and weighs 140 to 180 pounds. He wears a gray hoodie, black-rimmed glasses, dark pants, and a black mask over his nose and mouth.
Anyone with information about the crimes can contact Area Three detectives at 312-744-8263. The alert number is P21-3-088.
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