Black SUV used in Near West Side carjacking, robbery: police

Police say a black SUV was used in at least two of three crimes committed Wednesday evening in the West Loop and University Village neighborhoods.

Over a two-hour period, police responded to a carjacking, an armed robbery and an attempted car theft.

• About 6 p.m., a 33-year-old woman was walking to her parked Audi A5 in the 200 block of Peoria Street when she saw a male person trying to steal it, Chicago police spokeswoman Karie James said in an email. She yelled at the person, at which point the person entered a black SUV, possibly a Ford Escape, and drove off.
• At 7:45 p.m., a carjacking was reported in the 1400 block of South Halsted Street. Two women were seated in a parked Mercedes when a group of people opened the doors, pulled the women out and drove off in the car, James said. The women were uninjured.
• Ten minutes later, a 65-year-old man was robbed at gunpoint in the 1200 block of West Lexington Street, James said. Two people exited a black SUV — possibly a Jeep — while showing a gun and demanded his belongings. They grabbed his stuff and drove west in the SUV.

No arrest has been made in any of the cases, James said.

The 12th police district — which stretches from West Town to Pilsen — has seen a 25% increase in car thefts so far this year compared to the same period in 2019, according to police statistics. Despite the increase, robberies are down 8% over the same time frame.