A man has been charged with punching a Catholic priest during an attempted carjacking outside Holy Name Cathedral, just two days after being released on parole for an armed robbery conviction.
“Any time he finds the opportunity to jump inside someone’s car to try to steal it, he does,” Judge Luciano Panici Jr. remarked as he ordered Raleigh Ford, 18, detained. “The thing that is really telling about that is that he is on parole for an armed robbery when he does this. It defies logic that a person would comport themselves this way.”
On May 21, the priest drove to the cathedral at 730 North Wabash to check the mail and have lunch with some nuns, according to Assistant State’s Attorney Joseph Sorrentino. He parked his 2015 Toyota RAV4 in front of the church, leaving it unlocked with the keys in the ignition.
When the priest returned, he allegedly saw Ford checking the vehicle’s passenger door and entering the driver’s seat. The priest entered the passenger side, and a brief struggle ensued. Sorrentino said Ford punched the priest and tried to push him out of the vehicle. However, the priest managed to remove the keys from the ignition, forcing Ford to flee.
Surveillance cameras at the cathedral captured the entire incident. Three Chicago police officers who had previously arrested Ford recognized him in the footage.
Five days later, on May 26, Ford was allegedly involved in a second incident, this time an aggravated assault. According to Sorrentino, a man saw Ford inside his 2011 Porsche Cayenne in the 1000 block of North Clark.
When confronted, Ford fled on foot and reportedly pointed a handgun at the victim. Police searched the area, located Ford, and took him into custody. No firearm was recovered, but a witness corroborated the victim’s report that Ford displayed a firearm, Sorrentino said.
Ford’s juvenile record includes three adjudications: a 2024 armed robbery, for which he was paroled on May 19, and two stolen motor vehicle cases. He is now charged with attempted vehicular hijacking, aggravated assault, and criminal trespassing to a vehicle.
Assistant Public Defender Yasmeen Yousif said Ford denies the charges. She noted that he is the primary caretaker for his disabled brother and mother, who recently underwent surgery, and is seeking employment with an upcoming interview at Amazon, Yousif said during Ford’s detention hearing.
Judge Panici granted the state’s detention petition, calling Ford a “menace to the community.”
Sourcing: This report is based on the official court transcript of the defendant’s detention hearing.
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