Chicago police are investigating an attempted child abduction in the Bucktown neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon, October 29, that was followed minutes later by a carjacking at a nearby car wash. The child was not hurt, and police said a person was taken into custody on Thursday evening. In a further update on Friday, the Chicago Police Department said Area Five detectives were speaking with a person of interest, and no charges had been announced.
Source: WLS-TV (ABC7 Chicago), via InterNewscast
Officers were called shortly after 4 p.m. to the 2400 block of North Damen Avenue, at West Fullerton Avenue, for a report of an attempted child kidnapping. In police scanner traffic from the scene, an officer broadcast: “Attempted kidnapping of a child. 2400 North Damen; Damen and Fullerton,” adding, “The child is safe and OK, but the offender, who was in a white box truck, then fled.”
Police said the attempted abduction was unsuccessful. Officers who responded had the child with them at the scene, and the child was not injured, according to the department's account reported by FOX Chicago.
Source: FOX Chicago (WFLD), via WFB News
Minutes later, a carjacking caught on camera
Police said the suspect then went to a nearby car wash, the $5 Fullerton Express Car Wash on Fullerton Avenue, where he allegedly carjacked a woman after leaving the white van. Surveillance video obtained by FOX Chicago shows a woman vacuuming her white SUV when the man gets into the driver's seat and drives away.
Reporting from the scene said it appears the man entered the front seat of the SUV while the woman was vacuuming the back seat. The carjacking victim was not injured, police said. Workers near the busy intersection told reporters they were stunned that the incident unfolded in the middle of the afternoon.
Custody — and what police have not yet said
In an update issued later on Thursday, Chicago police said a person had been taken into custody in connection with the incident. No charges had been filed at that time, according to WLS-TV's reporting of the department's statement.
On Friday, October 30, the department gave a narrower update: Area Five detectives are speaking with a person of interest, police said, without providing additional information about the individual or announcing any arrests. FOX Chicago reported that it also remains unclear whether the stolen SUV has been recovered. The investigation is ongoing.
Police say the child in the attempted abduction is safe and neither victim was injured. As of Friday, police had announced no charges and had not released a name or a detailed suspect description. Anyone who witnessed the incident near Damen and Fullerton on Thursday afternoon, or who has video from the area, is asked to contact Chicago police.
A busy corner, in broad daylight
Bucktown is a largely residential neighbourhood on Chicago's Northwest Side, and the intersection of North Damen Avenue and West Fullerton Avenue is one of its busiest corners, lined with shops, restaurants and the car wash where the second crime allegedly took place. Crimes against children draw an especially strong police response in Chicago, and attempted-abduction reports trigger an immediate search of the surrounding streets — which is what scanner traffic from Thursday afternoon describes, with officers fanning out from Damen and Fullerton as the suspect's white vehicle was sought.
What happens next: Area Five detectives continue the investigation, including the search for the stolen SUV and any decision on charges, which in Cook County are approved by prosecutors before they are filed in serious felony cases. Awaaz Punjab will update this story when police announce charges or release further details.