Car theft suspect stole 2 cars in 8 hours on NW Side, police say
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Police are searching for the person who stole two cars in eight hours on Chicago's Northwest Side. Drivers should take extra caution as they prepare to hit the road for the holidays.
The male suspect jumped into a 2016 Audi while the victim unloaded groceries in the 3500-block of West Lawrence Avenue in the city's Albany Park neighborhood around 7 p.m. Monday, police said.
The suspect drove the stolen vehicle to a gas station in the 2800-block of West Lawrence in Chicago's Ravenswood neighborhood around 2:10 a.m. Tuesday.
Police said that's when he abandoned the vehicle and jumped into a 2010 Audi that was left running by a victim who was helping a friend fix their car, which had broken down.
Wasi Saiyed, who is a clerk at the Mobil gas station, said he has started warning customers to keep their doors locked at all times.
"I already told my customers, 'Don't leave your car open in the parking area when you come and use my washroom or when you want to buy something. Please lock your car in the parking area and then do what you need to do,'" Saiyed said.
No one was hurt in either incident. No one is in custody. The car thefts are under investigation.
Stolen car crashes near Kennedy
Also overnight, someone crashed a stolen car near a support beam at the Kennedy Expressway near West Diversey Avenue.
Police were searching for one of the suspects, who ran from the scene. Another suspect was injured in the crash and transported to the hospital.
These incidents come just hours after dozens of concerned residents on Chicago's Near West Side met about the rash of recent carjackings in their neighborhood. They discussed the possibility of paying for private security.
There have been at least 20 reported carjackings in the city in the last 11 days.
Man carjacked, robbed at gunpoint in Lawndale
In the most recent incident, a man was carjacked and robbed at gunpoint Tuesday morning in Chicago's Lawndale neighborhood on the city's West Side.
The victim's vehicle and personal belonging were taken at gunpoint at 6:12 a.m. in the 4700-block of West Polk Street, police said.
The suspects were described as two armed black males, thought to be between 20 and 25 years old, police said. Additional details were not provided.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire - Copyright Chicago Sun-Times 2017.)
