Attempted carjacking, shot fired at new shopping plaza in North Mayfair; victims had to remove children in 2 area carjackings

Several carjacking incidents have been reported this month in the 17 th (Albany Park) Police District, including a recent attempted carjacking in the new Edens Collection shopping center in North Mayfair and two carjackings in which the victims included children.

A man reportedly approached and pointed a gun at a 21-year-old man who was standing outside of his Chevy Camaro with his 19-year-old female passenger at about 9:10 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, in the center’s parking lot in the 4600 block of West Foster Avenue, according to Chicago police.

The gunman reportedly entered the car but was unable to get the car into drive, police said. After exiting the car, the man fired a shot in the air before running away, police said.

A security guard for the center contacted police, and officers reported seeing the man running across the Edens Expressway, placing him into custody near bushes just off the expressway, police said.

The suspect complained of leg pain and was transported to a hospital, and charges are pending, police said.

Meanwhile, a woman reported that she was carjacked at about 5:10 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, in the 5500 block of North Christiana Avenue, according to 17th District police.

The 42-year-old woman reported that she was gathering her belongings to exit the vehicle when two men approached her car and pointed guns at her, according to police.

The woman reported that one of the men told her to be quiet and hang up the phone, asked her where her purse was and told her to get her child and get out of the car, police said.

The woman reported that she got her grandson from the back seat and the men fled in her 2015 Audi Q5 which was followed by a burgundy Jeep Cherokee, according to police.

One of the men was described as Black, age 25 to 35 and 6-0 to 6-5. The other man was described as Black, age 18 to 25 and 5-5 to 5-10.

Also, a woman reported that she was carjacked at about 7:05 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, in the 4500 block of North Central Park Avenue, according to 17th District police.

The 34-year-old woman reported that she was dropping off her child at day care when she felt an object pressed against her ear and her arm being squeezed, according to police.

The woman reported that the man said, “I have a gun, if you scream I will kill you,” and she screamed, which alerted one of the day care staff, who began yelling at the man and called 911, police said.

The woman reported that the man allowed her to take her child, entered the driver’s seat of the vehicle and fled south on Central Park, according to police.

A camera captured the vehicle near the intersection of North Pulaski Road and West Lawrence Avenue, police said. The woman was eventually able to access an app for her vehicle, disabled it remotely and discovered that the vehicle had been taken to the 200 block of South Troy Avenue, according to police.

Officers escorted the woman to recover the vehicle ad she reported that her purse and wallet valued at a combined $200, her iPhone 11 valued at $1,200 and a car seat valued at $500 were missing from the vehicle, police said.

The man was described as Black, age 20 to 30, 5-9 to 5-11 and 170 to 190 pounds, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, blue leggings with black jean shorts over them and a black cloth bandana mask.

In a recent four-week stretch (ending Nov. 8) the number of reported robberies in the district was 23, compared to 11 during the same period last year, according to the police department.