Data Show Carjackings Are Down In Chicago, But Still High Compared With A Year Ago
CHICAGO (CBS) -- New numbers reveal carjackings in Chicago are down, but attacks are still unusually high compared with last year.
Police have to act fast to catch the suspects. And just Tuesday, a 13- and 14-year-old were arrested within 30 minutes of a carjacking.
As CBS 2's Marissa Parra reported Wednesday, officers were able to make that quick arrest in part because of luck, and in part because of communication.
According to the arrest reports, officers heard the 911 relay about the vehicular hijacking - and officers on patrol in the area spotted the vehicle right away and were able to curb the vehicle and make the arrest.
This latest incident happened in the 4500 block of West Madison Street in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. At just 13 and 14 years old, the teens who was arrested are of course too young even to get a driver's license.
But they were apparently old enough to carjack a 41-year-old woman - and lead police on a foot chase through the neighborhood.
There have been over 424 carjackings in 2021, according to Chicago Police data compiled from Jan. 1 until March 29. Those data do not even include the West Madison Street carjacking, which happened on Tuesday, March 30.
When we look at arrests during that same time period, police said there have been 396 arrests for "vehicle related crimes." But what does that mean?
Let's break that number down for an answer - 104 of those arrests are for vehicular hijacking, 117 for possession of a stolen vehicle, and 175 arrests for criminal trespass to a vehicle.
So how are the rates of carjackings looking now? According to data from the Chicago Police portal, there is good and bad news.
The rate of carjackings is down from January, but that rate is still unusually high.
A total of 60 carjackings were reported during the first three weeks of March. During this same time last year, there were 27.
