Hijackers took a man’s car at gunpoint in a Loop parking garage overnight, according to Chicago police. Carjacking reports are now 6% above last year’s record pace citywide.
According to a CPD spokesperson, a 55-year-old man was walking to his car in the 100 block of North Wells when three men confronted him with a handgun around 12:53 a.m. Wednesday, August 24.
The crew took the man’s keys and other valuables, then drove away with his black Mazda3. Illinois State Police troopers and Chicago cops found the car about an hour later in the Roseland neighborhood and chased the men who ran from it. But, no one is currently in custody for the hijacking, according to CPD.
As August 15, the Loop recorded 18 hijackings this year compared to 15 at the same point last year. Comparable periods in other recent years saw 11 in 2020; 3 in 2019; and 4 in 2018, according to CPD data.
Citywide hijacking reports stood at 1,051 as of August 15, up from 990 on the same date last year. Comparable periods: 707 in 2020; 323 in 2019; and 448 in 2018.
However, there is a positive note: there were 85 hijackings during the first half of this month, down from 87 as of mid-August 2021. If that decline holds, you can rest assured the Chicago Police Department leadership will be raving about the “progress” at month’s end.
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