A victim was punched in the head and carjacked by a suspect who approached him as he parked his car in the driveway of his home in Waukegan, with the suspect later fleeing from police.
The Waukegan Police Department responded around 9 a.m. on June 7 to the 1700 block of North Lewis Avenue in Waukegan for a report of a vehicular hijacking.
Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Craig Neal said that the victim was identified as a 26-year-old Waukegan man.
The victim told officers he had just parked a silver 2026 Toyota four-door in his driveway in the 2400 block of Huron Terrace.
The resident exited the car and a male suspect approached him and punched him in the head, Neal said this week.
The suspect got into the Toyota and drove off with the vehicle.
The victim was still holding the key fob for the vehicle, Neal said. He got into another vehicle and followed the suspect.
The victim lost sight of the suspect in the 1700 block of North Lewis Avenue and waited in the area to speak with officers.
The suspect was described as a thin black male, approximately 6-foot-3, with braided hair and a goatee. He was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt.
Neal said the victim complained of pain to the head from being punched.
The Waukegan Fire Department responded to the scene and transported the 26-year-old to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan. He was treated and later released.
The stolen Toyota was spotted by officers in North Chicago and a traffic stop was attempted but the vehicle fled, Neal said.
The Waukegan Police Department located the vehicle parked and unoccupied in the 2800 block of Glen Flora Avenue.
Neal said the vehicle had fresh damage to the front passenger side and was returned to the owner.
The suspect has not been apprehended. The case remains under investigation by the Waukegan Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division.