Retired detective foils carjacking

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Gerard Hamilton says he "became unretired" for a few minutes to catch a thief in the act. Hamilton foiled an alleged carjacker who was attempting to steal a vehicle at a south side gas station.

He was near this Hyde Park gas station Saturday where Adam Long was getting set to clean his BMW, but didn't have change for the vacuum. Surveillance camera footage shows him asking some people standing nearby if they do and when they say no he walks into the gas station but leaves his keys in the ignition. Seconds later, a young man, one of the people who didn't have change, walks around the car, gets in, backs it up and starts driving off.

Long sees this and gives chase, reaching into the open driver's side window and grabbing the steering wheel. He tries to wrestle control and then there is a crash. Long is thrown to the pavement, hit by a second car and critically injured. The young car thief runs into a nearby LA Fitness.

Hamilton, who is passing by with his foster son Randall Brown, runs to the back door where the 16-year-old thief emerges in full stride. After a three block chase the winner is the retired cop who's a boxer and a Tae Kwan Do black belt.
"We end up boxin him in and we got our perp that day," says Brown.

"I said where'd you get the car," says Hamilton, "and he said some guy in the parking lot gave it to me. Of course we knew better."

The 16-year-old has been charged with multiple felonies. Hamilton is happy to have helped, and happy that victim Adam Long - while still hospitalized - is now in good condition. He believes there is a lesson to be learned from this incident.

"We gotta just take those keys out of the car and lock it," he said. "It just takes a second, but obviously it could save your life."