With car break-ins on the rise and wild stories of children participating in carjackings in the St. Louis area, the question has been asked "what should you do if you're being carjacked?" One of our partner stations in Minneapolis welcomed Hennepin County Sheriff Dave Hutchinson on to answer that question.
"Being aware helps," says Sheriff Hutchinson. "Check out your surroundings. If you see anyone looking suspicious change your pattern."
What happens if you are sitting in an intersection when the carjacking happens? Sheriff Hutchinson had advice for that situation as well.
"If you're parked at an intersection, people forget to give yourself a few feet of room so you can go right or left or get out of the situation if someone comes to your window. Keep your doors locked."
Hutchinson says that, while your car isn't worth losing your life, there are steps you can take to prevent becoming a victim of carjacking.
"Have a plan, keep your head on a swivel. You don't want to be paranoid, but you have to be aware of your surroundings," Hutchinson said. "If someone does attack you when you're outside your car try to get away from the situation."
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Sheriff Hutchinson believes some of the reasons for the spike in carjackings around the are the pandemic and not enough police officers on the force. While he says it's necessary in some situation, Sheriff Hutchinson also says that since mask-wearing has become the normal, being able to conceal your identity with a mask hasn't helped.
Illinois State Police announced earlier this year that they're teaming up with federal agents and local law enforcement agencies to create a Joint Carjacking Taskforce. It came after a drastic" increase in carjackings.
In St. Louis, police have arrested children as young as 10 for involvement in carjackings.
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