A man accused of taking a Lyft driver’s car on Chicago’s West Side had to ask the victim how to operate the stolen Honda before he and an accomplice could drive away, prosecutors said. Police later recovered the vehicle parked near the suspect’s home.
In a detention filing, prosecutors said a 29-year-old Lyft driver accepted a ride request and picked up Joshua Pittman, 21, and another man who has not been located at about 12:28 a.m. on July 12. The passengers sat in the back seat, and the driver took them on a 10-minute trip to the 1900 block of South Springfield Avenue.
When they arrived, the driver parked beneath a streetlight and waited for the passengers to leave. Prosecutors said the unidentified passenger exited first, but Pittman, who was seated directly behind the driver, put him in a chokehold from behind. The other passenger then displayed a “large rifle style gun” and pointed it at the driver as the men demanded his belongings and ordered him out of the 2025 Honda Civic, according to the detention filing.
Prosecutors said Pittman took the victim’s phone, cash tips, credit card, watch, and a gold chain that had belonged to the victim’s late father. The other passenger then moved into the driver’s seat while Pittman remained in the back.
According to prosecutors, the pair ran into a problem when the other passenger could not figure out how to operate the Honda. Pittman then got out and asked the victim for instructions. After learning how to use the vehicle, the two men drove away, prosecutors said.
Shortly after 11 a.m. that same morning, officers on patrol saw Pittman, whom they recognized from prior encounters, and another man matching the descriptions of the people involved in the incident in an alley behind the 1800 block of South Ridgeway Avenue, prosecutors said.
The pair ran when they saw officers, according to the filing. While retracing their path, officers found the stolen Honda Civic parked in the alley near Pittman’s home. Detectives later included Pittman’s photograph in a lineup, and the Lyft driver identified him as the passenger who attacked him and took his belongings, prosecutors said.
Judge Luciano Panici Jr. ordered Pittman detained on charges of aggravated vehicular hijacking and aggravated battery.Judge Luciano Panici Jr. ordered Pittman detained on charges of aggravated vehicular hijacking and aggravated battery. Court records show Pittman was sentenced last year to three years in prison for participating in another robbery on Chicago’s West Side.
