Police are investigating after a man was pistol-whipped and carjacked in Lincoln Park on Monday morning. A group of offenders confronted the man when he opened his garage door on the 2600 block of North Southport around 6:15 a.m., according to a preliminary police report provided to CWB.
One of the hijackers hit the man over the head with a firearm as they robbed him of his wallet and phone. The report said that they forced him to provide his phone’s passcode, then drove away with his black 2020 Hyundai Elantra.
The victim recalled being confronted by three Black males in their 20s who wore dark clothing, according to the preliminary report. Surveillance video reportedly showed five men were involved, including one who wore a red coat.
CPD license plate readers detected the hijacked car near 91st Street and Dan Ryan Expressway about 20 minutes after the carjacking, but no arrests have been announced.
On Saturday evening, a couple was robbed and carjacked while unloading their SUV on the 3900 block of North Damen in North Center. A 31-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman were unloading their Audi Q5 when two men stepped out of a dark-colored sedan with two guns, according to a CPD spokesperson.
The offenders pointed the guns at the victims and went through their pockets. Both men entered the couple’s car and drove away, followed by the sedan, police said.
Carjackings are up this year in the Town Hall (19th) Police District, which stretches from Fullerton to Lawrence avenues and the Chicago River to Lake Michigan. There were 11 reports through March 6 this year. By comparison, there were nine cases as of March 6 last year, one as of March 6, 2020, and none by March 6, 2019.
While citywide hijacking reports are down compared to this time in 2021, the year-over-year decline has narrowed from 23% at the end of January to 11% at the end of February to about 6% today, according to the city’s data.
