A 17-year-old is in custody after he allegedly hijacked an SUV with a dog inside yesterday evening in West Town. Police reunited the uninjured pooch with its human, too.
It all started around 6:30 p.m. on the Mariano’s parking lot, 2021 West Chicago.
A 48-year-old man had just parked his SUV with his Golden Lab inside when the offender punched him in the face and took his car keys, police said. The hijacker sped west on Chicago Avenue with the man’s Kia Sorrento and, of course, the precious doggie as cargo.
The Lab was found safe a little while later near the 2400 block of West Lake Street.
Then, at 9:49 p.m., police spotted the stolen SUV in traffic near the 4300 block of West Haddon in Humboldt Park. A 17-year-old boy bailed out of the driver’s seat and ran. Cops found him hiding in a back yard and took him into custody.
He is charged with felony vehicular hijacking, according to a CPD media statement. Police said he also had an active arrest warrant, but no further information about the nature of that case was available because he is a juvenile.
West Town is the second-worst of Chicago’s 77 community areas for hijackings this year, according to city records. At least three other carjackings were reported in West Town on Monday alone.
