Armed men carjacked a driver as he dropped off a friend in Boystown on Tuesday evening. The hijacking unfolded about an hour after a carjacker took another man’s car nearby. The crimes do not appear to be related.
Most recently, a 24-year-old man was carjacked as he drove a 29-year-old woman home around 9:23 p.m. They were stationary in the man’s car when a white SUV rear-ended them on the 3400 block of North Elaine, a Chicago police spokesperson said.
Two gunmen emerged from the SUV, and each pointed a gun at the man as he inspected his car for damage, according to the spokesperson. The woman saw what was happening and stepped out of the vehicle.
Both offenders climbed into the man’s vehicle, a BMW X1, and left the area followed by another car. Witnesses reported seeing the cars turning south on Halsted Street at Roscoe at high speed.
The other hijacking occurred on the 2900 block of North Broadway around 8:13 p.m.
Police said a carjacker pushed a 35-year-old man from behind as he returned to his car, which had been left running. The victim fell to the ground, and the offender drove away with his silver Toyota sedan. It was last seen heading south on Broadway followed by a black four-door sedan that was driven by a possible accomplice, according to a CPD report.
The victim was not injured and he did not see any weapons, police said.
CPD did not release any suspect descriptions.
Monday’s hijackings were the third and fourth of the year for Lakeview, which did not have any carjackings reported at this point in 2021 or 2020. It had one by this time in 2019.
As of March 22, there were 390 carjackings reported in Chicago this year, down slightly from 399 during the same period last year. There were 183 cases by March 22, 2020, and 100 in 2019.
But carjacking reports this month, 90 cases as of the 22nd, are far ahead of the 57 incidents reported during the same period last year. There were 42 in 2020 and 21 in 2019.
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