Two 16-year-olds charged in separate carjacking incidents
CHICAGO - Two 16-year-old boys face charges in separate carjackings in the Englewood and Austin neighborhoods.
The first teenager was arrested 4 p.m. Wednesday, minutes after he tried to carjack a 37-year-old woman in the 400 block of West 75th Street, Chicago police said in a statement. The woman was inside her car when a group of men approached and forced her out of the car. They attempted to drive her car away but couldn’t, because the woman’s key fob wasn’t inside the car. The group fled on foot and responding officers responding officers arrested the teen after matching him to the victim’s description and he was positively identified, police said. He was charged as a juvenile with a count of attempted vehicular hijacking.
A second teenager was charged in a February carjacking in the 1000 block of North Lavergne Avenue in Austin, police said. He allegedly battered a 51-year-old man and took his belongings about 2 p.m. Feb. 10. The man was transported to Loyola Hospital with head and eye injuries after allegedly being held to the ground by the teen and other offenders, police said.
The teen was arrested Wednesday by the Vehicular Hijacking Team in Little Village. He’s charged with a felony count vehicular hijacking, a felony count robbery and one misdemeanor count of battery.
The teens, who weren’t named because they’re charged as juveniles, are expected in court Thursday.
Carjackings have spiked in Chicago in the last year, with police responding to 340 carjackings in January and February. Last year, 1,417 carjackings were reported across the city, more than double than the previous year.