Police are investigating two violent carjackings that occurred about 40 minutes apart Monday evening — one in West Town and the other near Goose Island. Police arrested a suspect in one of the crimes.
At 6:44 p.m., a 15-year-old boy and his 49-year-old mother were in a gray Honda Pilot when a man and a woman approached them on the 800 block of West Chicago.
One offender pulled the boy’s mother from the car’s passenger seat while the other punched the teenager in his face, CPD spokesperson Kellie Bartoli said.
The pair then drove away with the car. Bartoli said the boy suffered blunt trauma to his face, and his mother injured her ankle. Both were treated and released at St. Mary’s Hospital.
Police found the stolen Honda Pilot a short time later, and officers arrested a suspect. Bartoli said charges are pending.
An earlier carjacking unfolded just after 6 p.m. on the 700 block of North Paulina in West Town.
In that case, two offenders approached a 57-year-old man from behind after he got out of his Audi SUV. One of the offenders pushed the victim to the ground. When he got back up, an attacker hit him in the face with a handgun, which caused him to fall again, Bartoli said.
The hijackers ordered the man to turn over his keys, and he complied. They were last seen heading south on Paulina in his car.
Bartoli said the carjackers are two Black males between 18- and 25-years-old.
Area Three detectives are investigating the Paulina incident.
West Town, which includes neighborhoods like Bucktown, Wicker Park, Noble Square, Ukrainian Village, and the Fulton River District, ranks #2 among the city’s 77 community areas for carjackings this year.
Police recorded 92 carjackings in West Town through October 16, according to CPD records. Austin, with 108 cases, ranks #1. Next in line are North Lawndale (86), the Near West Side (62), and West Garfield Park (52).
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