Prosecutors charged two men with driving a car after it taken from a 77-year-old Lincolnwood man during a carjacking in Lakeview on Saturday. Lawrence Dear and Dashawn Bowman are both charged with felony possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Neither man is accused of participating in the hijacking.
The victim was sitting in the back seat of his white Toyota Camry on the 3400 block of North Ashland around 2:52 p.m. when a man opened the back door, stuck a hard object in his back, and demanded his property, a CPD spokesperson said. After the victim stepped out of the car, two carjackers climbed in and drove away westbound on Roscoe Street, according to the spokesperson.
About 90 minutes later, a CPD license plate reader spotted the stolen car in traffic and cops began tracking it via POD cameras, Assistant State’s Attorney Loukas Kalliantasis said.
The camera operators saw the vehicle park on the 5500 block of South Loomis. Bowman stepped out of the driver’s seat and three other men, including Dear, exited the other seats and they all walked into a nearby home, according to Kalliantasis.
Minutes later, Dear allegedly returned to the car and drove away. He pulled over for police down the street, but he backed into their car and drove away as they walked up to the vehicle, Kalliantasis said.
Cops arrested him after he allegedly crashed into a cement post and ran from the scene.
Meanwhile, other officers knocked on the door of the home that the men entered. A woman who owns the building allowed police to come inside and arrest Bowman, according to a CPD report.
Prosecutors charged Dear with aggravated assault in addition to the stolen vehicle count for allegedly backing into the police squad car.
They said Bowman has a pending possession of a stolen motor vehicle case in juvenile court.
Judge Barbara Dawkins said the men could go home on electronic monitoring by posting $3,000 toward their $30,000 bail amounts.
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