5 teens charged with armed carjacking of off-duty CPD detective in Edgewater

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A group of teenagers was charged for allegedly carjacking an off-duty Chicago police detective in the Edgewater neighborhood Thursday morning, police said.

Raynell Lanford, 18, Javion Bush, 18, Jamaal Ashshaheed, 19, and Jamar Jarvis, 18, were all charged with two felony counts each of armed carjacking. The fifth person, a 16-year-old boy who remains unidentified because he is a juvenile, was charged with one count of armed carjacking by someone under 21 and one count of criminal trespassing, according to Chicago police.

The incident occurred in the 5800-block of North Winthrop Avenue just after midnight Thursday after a 47-year-old woman parked her car. Police said a group of five to seven men pointed a gun at her, took her keys out of her hand and then they all hopped into her Lexus SUV and took off.

Heather Bennett heard the off-duty Chicago police detective shouting for help outside her bedroom window just after midnight.

"She was in the alleyway just screaming bloody murder at the top of her lungs saying, 'Help, call 911, help call 911, help call 911,'" Bennett said.

Five people were arrested after an off-duty Chicago police detective was robbed at gunpoint in the Edgewater neighborhood Thursday morning, police said.

Bennett could hear her on the phone calling 911.

"As they were turning left, she was like, 'I was just robbed. I was just carjacked. They're heading to Sheridan.' She knew exactly what to do," Bennett said.

Fortunately, she was not injured.

The suspects ditched the car near South Shore Drive and East 55th Street, but they were soon caught and police recovered a weapon.

The group of teens was due in court on Saturday.