4 teens charged in connection with South Loop carjacking

Four teenage boys are facing charges in connection with a carjacking in the South Loop last week.

Three 17-year-olds and a 16-year-old are each charged with one misdemeanor count of criminal trespass to a vehicle, Chicago police said. One of the 17-year-olds is also charged with a felony count of possession of a stolen vehicle and a misdemeanor count of possession of cannabis.

On Dec. 22, officers were called for a BMW driver carjacked by four males about 11:30 p.m. in the 1200 block of South Indiana Avenue, police said. The suspects allegedly hit the 60-year-old male victim in the nose with the butt of a gun.

Officers later located the car about 2:30 a.m. Dec. 23 in the 4700 block of West Augusta Boulevard in Humboldt Park, police said. Four males ran from the BMW but were taken into custody a short time later.

Police have responded to at least 1,335 carjackings so far this year — more than double the number of carjackings in all of 2019, according to police data.