Some Carjacking Victims Have Lost All Sense Of Security, And Some Who Are Rideshare Drivers Have Lost Livelihoods
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The rise in carjackings in Chicago has certainly left many of us uneasy.
Some victims have told us they've lost all sense of security - and even their livelihoods. They spoke to CBS 2's Jeremy Ross on Monday.
"I still, you know, like feel unsafe," said one Uber and Lyft driver who was carjacked over the weekend.
There is always plenty of traffic near Armitage and Damen avenues. But on Saturday night, that traffic nearly proved deadly for the driver.
Still shaken on Monday, he asked that we not share his name. But he managed to share his account over the phone.
"I can't sleep like, you know, after this," the driver said.
Not only did the thieve get away with the one way the driver makes money during the pandemic – his car – but they also got away with his house key, his documents, and documents inside his computer that could lead to another crime – identity theft.
"I don't care about my car," the drier said. "I care about, you know, like the information in my laptop."
The rideshare worker said he picked up two teens Saturday night, and they sat in the back. Not long afterward, they went from riders to attackers and - he went from driver to being on the defensive.
"They pointed a gun on my head and they hit me like one time with the bottom of the gun," the driver said, adding that he is "definitely" lucky to be alive.
Sam Royko, the youngest son of late Chicago newspaper columnist Mike Royko, had his car stolen by carjackers while his girlfriend was driving it.
"It feels like a violation when you go through it," Royko said.
Royko's girlfriend, Erin Groble, was driving his car when she was carjacked earlier Saturday in an alley off Milwaukee and Ashland avenues and Division Street. The crime scene is just over a mile and a half from the rideshare driver's.
Police told Royko that his car was found on the South Side, and there may be fingerprints left behind. There was also some damage.
"I'm happy to hear they're reaching some results," Royko said.
Ross asked Royko what he hopes happens to the people who were responsible for the carjacking of his car and others.
"People need to be held responsible and accountable for their actions," he said.
As to how much confidence he has in police catching those responsible, or in the prospect of getting his car back, the anonymous rideshare driver said, "I don't know."
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