Chicago police arrest 210 suspected carjackers in first 50 days of 2021
Police grappling with startling trend in carjackings committed mostly by people ages 15 to 20
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chicago police have nabbed at least 210 suspects in connection to carjacking-related incidents reported throughout the Windy City, its top cop said Thursday.
Chicago Police Superintendent David O. Brown announced on Twitter that the department had made 210 arrests in the first 50 days of the year for car-related crimes, such as vehicular hijacking, criminal possession of a stolen vehicle and criminal trespass.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He also said the number of vehicular hijackings reported from Feb. 1 to Feb. 17 was down 35% from those reported from Jan. 15 to Jan. 31, though some social media users questioned what role the weather played in the decrease in crime.
In one of the most recent arrests, CPD officers arrested a 15-year-old boy on Wednesday morning for a Jan. 20 carjacking. The teen was charged with one felony count of vehicular hijacking for "forcibly" entering a 36-year-old woman’s Subaru sedan and demanding her vehicle before driving off, police said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CHICAGO POLICE RAMP UP REFORM EFFORTS UNDER FEDERAL MANDATE, WATCHDOG MONITOR
Officials previously revealed most carjacking offenders are between the ages of 15 and 20.
Brown announced just weeks ago that the department was bolstering its vehicular hijacking task force, adding 40 officers and strengthening community engagement efforts.
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Carjackings rose about 135% last year to 1,415 and continue at a high pace this year, police statistics show. CPD recorded 218 carjackings in January 2021 – a staggering spike from the 77 reported during the same time last year, authorities previously told Fox News.