Update March 15: Charges have been filed.
Chicago — Police are investigating after a driver was carjacked at gunpoint at a Lakeview gas station Tuesday morning.
The victim was at BP, 1200 West Belmont, when a white car, possibly a Hyundai Sonata, pulled up next to him around 4:49 a.m., officials said. A CPD spokesperson said a gunman got out of the white car, showed a gun, and demanded the victim’s property. The robber then drove away with the man’s blue BMW X3, followed by the sedan. Police did not release descriptions of the hijackers.
A nearby Chicago police surveillance camera recorded the hijacking.
Shortly after 6 a.m., CPD officers began tracking the BMW’s GPS location as the car traveled around Lakeview and Lincoln Park. But they weren’t able to catch up with the vehicle.
The pace of carjacking reports continues to slow across Chicago, with 244 cases reported this year as of March 7. That’s still well above pre-pandemic levels but about 30% lower than 2021’s breakneck pace.
Here is the number of vehicular hijackings reported citywide as of March 7 in recent years, according to CPD records:
2019 — 81
2020 — 152
2021 — 356
2022 — 327
2023 — 244
While the decrease in carjackings is good, there is a massive increase in traditional auto theft reports. Vehicle theft reports are up 135% compared to last year, 230% compared to 2021, and 257% compared to 2019.
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