Chicago — At least three more carjackings were reported Sunday in the West Loop, Bucktown, and Logan Square, an area that has seen a significant increase in hijackings over the past couple of weeks.
Chicago police arrested four people after a wave of carjackings on Friday evening, but more cases continue to be reported.
Sunday’s carjackings began around 4:30 a.m. in the 800 block of West Huron in River West. A man told police that four men displayed rifles and handguns to take his Mercedes.
Then, around 12:35 p.m., a 31-year-old man was carjacked as he parked in the 2200 block of North Leavitt in Bucktown. A Chicago police spokesperson said a carjacker stepped out of a dark-colored SUV and took the man’s black 2016 Mazda6 at gunpoint.
The carjacker was described as a Black male in his early 20s, wearing a tan hoodie with dark pants. An accomplice remained in the SUV while the crime unfolded. Both offenders wore black masks.
Then, a 39-year-old man was carjacked at gunpoint while putting air in his car tire in the 1800 block of North Whipple in Logan Square. He told the police that two men got out of a silver sedan and took his 2008 Volkswagen Touareg.
One offender stayed in the silver car while the other two, described as young, slender Black males wearing black hoodies, got out to commit the crime, a CPD report said.
Carjacking reports citywide remained high last year but began to taper off from record levels as the “Kia Boy” craze swept the city last summer. Chicago police recorded 140 carjackings last month, down from 206 in December 2021. Even with the decline, last month was the third-worst for carjackings in the city since 2001, according to city records.
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