Woman carjacked at gunpoint in Washington Park, part of possible Christmas carjacking spree: police
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago police said a 40-year-old woman was carjacked at gunpoint in Washington Park on Christmas morning.
Police said the woman was standing outside her car in the 300-block of East Garfield Boulevard around 6:50 a.m. when two men approached her, pulled a gun and demanded the car.
"I'm glad I'm still here. My life today on Christmas. I thought I was going to lose my life today. I'll never forget that," said Kelixandria Williams, carjacking victim.
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Williams, a young grandmother, said she was getting gas at the time of the carjacking.
"Gun pulled to my head and they took my car, took my Christmas gifts for my grandkids, things in the backseat, then pulled off," she described.
She stood there, helpless and frigid and furious, as they thieves sped off westbound in her minivan.
"Y'all don't do people like that," Williams said. "Y'all don't come to people like that. They tear their life apart like that on Christmas time. This is traumatizing. I'll never forget that incident that happened to me. I'll never forget that."
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Hours later, Williams said she got a call from police, saying they'd recovered her car, abandoned on the West Side and only partially ransacked.
"They took from the items I had for my grandkids, so they just picked through, sort the stuff they wanted to take and left more stuff," she said. "They left more gift bags in my car, some gifts they took from someone else."
No one was injured in the incident, police said. No one is currently in custody. Police believe the two men may have gone on a holiday carjacking spree that started with Williams' incident.
Police data shows so far in 2020 there have been at least 1,344 carjackings in Chicago, up almost 140% from the same period last year. Those statistics put the city on course to have the most carjackings since 2001.
An investigation by Area One detectives is ongoing.
