CHICAGO — A judge in Chicago on Thursday sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for committing three armed carjackings while being on parole for two stolen motor vehicle cases. Taj Newson, 27, pleaded guilty to the charges before Judge Steven Watkins, court records show.
Newson, who has been convicted of possessing stolen vehicles three times, was on parole for two of those cases when he made arrangements to inspect a car that was for sale so he could carjack it during a test drive, officials said.
According to prosecutors, Newson took a 2004 Chevy on a test drive on November 16, 2023, and forced the victim out of the vehicle in the 4200 block of North Pulaski.
“I don’t want you to get hurt,” he allegedly told the owner.
CPD’s hijacking task force located the stolen Chevy about two hours later by using the city’s license plate reader network, according to Newson’s arrest report. Cops closed in on the vehicle and pulled Newson over in the 3600 block of West Roosevelt. He allegedly told the officers he was “testing [the car] for a client.”
In addition to that case, Newson pleaded guilty to carjacking another driver in the 3000 block of West 52nd Street on October 9, 2023, and hijacking another vehicle in a bank parking lot in the 5400 block of West Belmont on November 7, 2023.
Judge Watkins handed him 15 years for each case and ordered the sentences to be served concurrently. With good behavior, Newson will be eligible for parole after serving half the time.
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