An 18-year-old man who was convicted of three separate robbery cases last year in juvenile court is now charged as an adult with hijacking a driver at gunpoint this month. And, prosecutors say, one of his accomplices in the carjacking is a juvenile who had a rifle strapped across his chest and a handgun in his waistband when police arrested him shortly after the crime.
Around 8:12 p.m. on December 11, three hijackers pointed three guns at the head of a man on the 7900 block of South Albany. They took his phones and drove away with his car.
While police were speaking with the victim, they heard about a car crash nearby that seemed to involve the hijacked car. In fact, it was his car.
An Illinois State Police trooper who heard about the hijacking on their radio saw it pass by them and crash. Three males ran from the vehicle, and the trooper arrested 18-year-old Larry Grant, who was allegedly driving the car.
Police also chased a juvenile who ran from the car’s back seat. When they arrested him inside a laundromat, the boy had a 22-caliber rifle hanging from his chest and a 9-millimeter handgun on his front side, prosecutors said.
The victim allegedly identified Grant as one of the hijackers. He’s charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking with a firearm, possessing a stolen motor vehicle, and aggravated fleeing and eluding.
Prosecutors said he was adjudicated delinquent in juvenile court last year for two aggravated robberies and one robbery. He received a sentence of two-years probation. He also had an active arrest warrant for domestic battery in DeKalb County at the time of the hijacking, according to prosecutors.
Grant’s defense attorney said he has three children, works at Popeye’s, and regularly attends Mass.
Judge Charles Beach set bail at $350,000. Grant must post 10% of that to get out of jail.
