The suspect threatened a University of Illinois-Chicago student with a gun, forcing the young man into his own car after telling the victim he had scratched his car. The suspect then drove him around to several ATMs to withdraw money. The carjacker also had the victim buy items at the Target store in the South Loop.
The student finally got away when the suspect told him to follow him in another car to a fast food restaurant on the West Side. The student was ordered to follow the offender to the White Castle at Roosevelt and Western in a second car. The student entered the second car but instead drove to 1250 S. Halsted St. and called police.
The student was not injured during the incident, which has been categorized as an armed robbery and aggravated kidnapping.
The second car, which had been reported missing, was recovered by police, but the student's car remained missing Wednesday.
The offender, captured on surveillance video, is described as a black man, age 30 to 40, with a shaved head. He is about 5'9", 200 pounds and wears a black jacket, the alert said.
In one of the robberies, he used an older blue two-door car, which was later recovered. The car was stolen in the first robbery and used in the last two, police say.
The last car taken was a 2002 two-door black Pontiac Grand Am with license plate X656252.
The robberies have all occurred during the early morning hours, according to the alert, which did not specify where the carjackings occurred, saying they were citywide.
Police are cautioning citizens to be alert when entering or exiting cars. Anyone with information on the carjackings should call Belmont Area detectives at (312) 744-8263.
The Sun-Times News Group Wire contributed to this report.
