FBI Chicago: Most wanted fugitive Gary 'Bird' Luellen arrested

CHICAGO - FBI Chicago says one of the fugitives featured on its most wanted list is now in custody.

What we know:

Gary Luellen, who was known by the nicknames "Bird" and "Little Bird," had been wanted in connection with a series of violent carjackings in early 2023.

Luellen was arrested Tuesday at a family member's residence in Chicago.

"That's just a great example that the FBI never forgets and we never stop. Once you get on our radar, if you impact the public safety, we are gonna find you, we are going to arrest you, we are going hold you accountable," FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the Chicago Field Office Robert Wieczorek told Fox Chicago.

According to the FBI, Luellen was one of four men charged in a string of carjackings. Three happened on Chicago's South Side and one in south suburban Dolton.

Luellen's three co-defendants had already been arrested, while he remained at large for three years. The FBI previously said it believed he was still in the Chicago area.

Last year, FOX Chicago spoke with Dustin Gourley, the acting supervisor of FBI Chicago's Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force. He said the suspects approached victims in public places and used guns to steal vehicles.

"I think I have almost 14 years of experience working violent crimes and this case really stood out to me," Gourley said. "One, the brazenness — middle of the day, public areas, shopping centers, gas stations, the use of real firearms, the use of firearms with extended magazines, with switches to make them automatic weapons."

He added: "These individuals would pull up and point firearms directly at their victims, make verbal threats to harm them and steal their vehicles. So incredibly scary, incredibly violent."

"He's charged with multiple counts of carjacking, multiple counts of violating the Hobbs Act, which is essentially the federal armed robbery statute, as well as brandishing a firearm during a felony offense," Gourley said.

Chicago's Most Wanted

Dig deeper:

In September of last year, FBI Chicago released the following list of "Chicago Most Wanted" fugitives, several of whom have been taken into custody since then.

• Aron Barcenas – First Degree Murder
• Julio Caesar Bernal – First Degree Murder
• Nesta Gray – Murder
• Calvin Hutchinson – Murder – Captured
• Gary Luellen – Carjacking – Captured
• Joseph Matos – First Degree Murder
• Giovanny Portillo – Attempted First Degree Murder, Aggravated Battery
• Antonio Stigler – Murder – Captured

For more information, head over to FBI Chicago's website.

The video at the top of this story is from a previous Fox Chicago report.