CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Police said a carjacking early Sunday followed a familiar pattern that has been seen throughout the downtown area.
According to Chicago police, in the last two weeks at least three people have fallen victim to the same tactic: carjackers rear-end a driver and then attack after the driver pulls over with the intention of exchanging information.
The latest incident happened shortly after midnight Sunday in the parking lot of a grocery store at Des Plaines and Kinzie in the Fulton River District.
The woman was driving her Audi Q5 shortly after midnight on Des Plaines near Kinzie when her car was rear ended. She pulled into the well-lit parking lot of the Jewel-Osco, but when she got out of the car to exchange information, four men got out of the other car, pushed her to the ground, stole her purse, and then two of the men got into her car and drove off.
Related
Lynette Kelly lives nearby and told CBS 2, “When you told me, that’s my first time hearing it, so it makes me feel like I just need to be way more cautious...It’s like really scary.
“Maybe she could have gone to the police department – something like that,” Kelly went on to say. “It’s so extreme, but honestly, it’s like life or death.”
Another person who lives nearby told CBS 2, “I believe the criminal element has become emboldened with the mask and a way to be more anonymous, but it’s just a pitiful situation."
Chicago police are trying to stem the tide of carjackings in the city. There have 661 carjackings so far this year, up from 395 during this time in 2020.
Related
