CHICAGO — A woman was carjacked at gunpoint in Lincoln Park on Tuesday evening, Chicago police said. It’s the second evening in a row that cops responded to armed carjackings on the North Side.
Five men got out of a black SUV and forced the 25-year-old from her car at gunpoint as she parked in the 1100 block of West Wrightwood around 9:10 p.m., according to police.
The group drove away with her 2023 Chevy Malibu, then dumped it moments later at the corner of Southport and Diversey, CPD said. A witness saw at least four people get out of the stolen vehicle, jump into a black tail car, and head south on Southport.
On Monday night, carjackers stole two cars from a 41-year-old man in North Center. Police said a 41-year-old man was going back and forth between his two vehicles, a gray Toyota Camry and a red Kia Sportage, when a silver sedan with four occupants pulled up.
Two men got out of the sedan, displayed firearms, and demanded the man’s keys, a CPD spokesperson said. He complied, and the men drove away with both of his cars.
Police found some of the victim’s property, including his license plates, in the 3800 block of North Ravenswood a few minutes later. They also recovered a stolen car at the Ravenswood address that may have been used by the crew, according to a CPD report.
Then, around 3:18 a.m. Tuesday, a 59-year-old man was carjacked in the parking lot of White Castle, 5940 North Ridge, in Edgewater. He told police that three men stepped out of a red SUV, ordered him out of his silver Toyota minivan at gunpoint, and then drove away with the vehicle. He was not injured.
About an hour later, according to preliminary information, three armed men exited a minivan and carjacked another driver at the Mobil service station, 2805 West Division. The group took the man’s black 2019 Toyota RAV4 and headed south on California.
Overall carjacking reports are down 29% compared to this point last year, according to Chicago police records. But the 356 cases seen so far is well above the level seen in pre-pandemic years.