Police are investigating an attempted carjacking that occurred near the Magnificent Mile overnight. Detectives are also investigating a successful hijacking in Rogers Park on Monday evening.
Most recently, a 25-year-old woman foiled a carjacking as she sat in her car in the 800 block of North Rush Street around 1:31 a.m. Tuesday. A black sedan pulled up next to her, and three men wearing face masks approached both sides of her car, a Chicago police spokesperson said. One of the men implied he had a gun, but the woman did not see a firearm, according to the spokesperson.
Rather than stick around, the woman stepped on the accelerator, striking the rear passenger side door of the offenders’ car as she sped away. A nearby parked motorcycle was also hit. No injuries were reported.
On Monday evening, two men wearing ski masks and dark clothing carjacked and robbed a woman at gunpoint in the 2000 block of West Chase in Rogers Park at around 9:40 p.m. The victim was not injured, but the offenders got away with her gray 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee, purse, and wallet.
Carjacking cases in Chicago continue to be reported at even higher rates than last year’s record-setting pace. CPD took 972 hijacking reports this year through July, up 7% from last year, according to city data. There were 621 cases through July 2020 and 304 during the period in 2019.
The city had 167 carjackings during July, up 11% from last year. There were 149 cases in July 2020 and 53 in July 2019.
City records show that Chicago police have made arrests in slightly less than 7% of this year’s hijackings. The arrest rate for 2021 carjackings is 13%. It’s important to note that arrest rates for previous years are typically higher than current periods because police have had more time to identify offenders and secure charges from the state’s attorney’s office.
In 2021, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charges in 75% of carjacking cases that Chicago police brought in, according to the prosecutor’s office data.
