Two men and two boys from Chicago were charged this week in connection with a carjacking incident in Oak Park, according to the village’s police department.
More Top Picks Best Brush Pens For Hand Lettering
The four individuals were arrested around 5 p.m. April 7, shortly after allegedly stealing a 2002 Oldsmobile from a 72-year-old resident and aiming handguns at him and his 67-year-old wife in the alley behind their home in the 700 block of North Grove Avenue, according to Oak Park police.
Darryl Peters Jr., 19 of the 400 block of North Trumbull Avenue, and Anthony Johnson, 18, of the 3800 block of West 13th Street, were charged with vehicular hijacking, and two juveniles, ages 15 and 17, from the 1400 block of South Hamlin Street, were charged with vehicular hijacking and attempted armed robbery, police said.
The 72-year-old residentsaid he and his wife were in the process of cleaning out the Oldsmobile and planned to exchange it for a new vehicle the next day.
The resident said he was sitting in the driver’s seat of the Oldsmobile outside his garage, when the four individuals walked up to the car and one grabbed the door. The resident said he pulled the door shut, and the man took out a large handgun and aimed it at the resident’s head.
“I got out of the car, and he slid right in,” he said. “Another of his buddies had a handgun and aimed it at my wife and told her, ‘We’ll get you,’ and then he jumped in the car and they sped off.”
He said the entire ordeal lasted about 30 seconds. The resident said he immediately called 911.
Within minutes of the call, Chicago police identified the stolen Oldsmobile and followed it to a dead-end alley in the 300 block of North Parkside Avenue, police said. The four individuals attempted to flee on foot and were apprehended by police.
The resident said he was notified of the arrest minutes after he dialed 911. He said he was asked to identify the suspects in a street lineup after they were taken into custody.
Bond for Peters and Johnson was set at $250,000, and both men remained in custody Tuesday afternoon, according to Monalinda Saldivar, assistant chief of public information for the clerk of the circuit court. The two minors charged in connection with the incident were transported to the Cook County secure juvenile detention center, police said.
“This couple did everything right. They didn’t panic, they didn’t resist and they immediately called 911,” Oak Park Police Chief Rick Tanksley said in a statement released by the department. “They also made it a point to retain details about their assailants that made it easy for them to make a positive identification. I think everyone can learn a lesson from how the victims handled themselves.”
The longtime Oak Park resident said the carjacking shocked the entire neighborhood. He said the area is largely unaffected by crime.
The resident said his neighbors are on guard following the incident, and “they know if people don’t belong in the alley, they know now to call 911 — there is no question in their minds.”
He said neighbors have also expressed support for the couple in the carjacking aftermath by stopping by to express their concern and offering both flowers and food.
“This is a very tightknit neighborhood,” the resident said.
Lee Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.