CHICAGO — Charles Platt started this week as a five-time convicted felon. As of his latest court appearance on Tuesday, he’s an eight-time convicted felon. Platt, 53, pleaded guilty during the hearing to carjacking, aggravated robbery, and possessing a stolen motor vehicle. Judge Peggy Chiampas handed him two concurrent 13-year prison sentences.
The first two charges stem from a vehicular hijacking that ended with Platt crashing the vehicle while being chased by Illinois State Police troopers at speeds up to 102 mph.
On November 15, 2022, a 41-year-old woman was exiting her car in the 2700 block of North Sawyer when Platt and another man confronted her around 5:50 p.m.
As the victim grabbed her backpack from the car, Platt put her into a headlock and told her that his companion would shoot her if she did not comply, prosecutors said. The woman argued and struggled with Platt, who tried to grab her purse and eventually gained control of her car keys. He allegedly drove away in her car with his accomplice in the passenger seat.
Later that night, a state trooper spotted the hijacked car and tried to pull it over near 79th Street and Cottage Grove. The driver initially appeared to be pulling over, but he suddenly accelerated to more than 102 mph, ran several red lights, and crashed into a building at 95th Street and Cottage Grove, officials said. The state trooper crashed into a CTA bus shelter at the same intersection.
Rescue personnel extracted Platt from the hijacked car’s driver’s seat. He was hospitalized with a broken hip and other injuries. The trooper who crashed was also extracted and hospitalized for broken bones. Prosecutors said both cars had passengers, who were also removed from the wreckage by the Chicago Fire Department.
Prosecutors said his criminal background includes robbery convictions in 1995, 2002, and 2010 and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon in 1999.
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