Police arrest 11-year-old boy in Chicago carjacking, investigate his role in several others

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown announced Monday that an 11-year-old boy is now in custody for a Chicago carjacking earlier this month, calling it "a sad state of affairs."

"Unfortunately, this 11-year-old has been arrested before and he is considered a prolific carjacker in our city," Brown said.

The 11-year-old is now charged with one felony count of aggravated vehicular hijacking with a firearm.

SEE ALSO | Chicago carjacking: Teen shot, killed while fleeing carjackers in Pullman, family says

William McGee was just shy of graduating from Excel Academy when he was shot and killed during a Chicago carjacking in Pullman, his family said.

The crime took place on Sunday, Nov. 14 in the parking lot of a Jewel Osco in the 4700 block of North Cumberland at about 7:45 a.m.

Police sources told the I-Team that the victim was a Chicago police sergeant's wife who was robbed at gunpoint. The stolen vehicle, a 2021 BMW SUV, was located several hours later on the city's South Side.

"The 11-year-old seems to be driving these carjackings," Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said. "So he's not just there, I guess, along for the ride with other individuals."

Mayor Lori Lightfoot also reacted Monday to the news of such a young child arrested in connection with such a serious offense.

"I'm going to be meeting with the juvenile judges here relatively soon to address that issue," Lightfoot said. "We have a crisis and it's a crisis that they have to own some responsibility for. We cannot keep putting these kids back out on the streets with no support, no resources, no monitoring."

The police department said this incident was not an isolated one. The 11-year-old is being investigated for his role in several other recent carjackings around the city.