A woman, who has been arrested over 40 times as an adult, allegedly repeatedly punched a man and carjacked him in North Chicago and then tried to carjack a second victim but was tackled by bystanders.
The North Chicago Police Department responded around 4:45 a.m. on May 20 to the Speedway gas station, 2850 Skokie Highway, for a report of a disturbance.
Officers arrived and found two men holding down Royshell L. Rhyan, 34, of Cincinnati, Ohio, on the ground of the Speedway gas station.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Eryka Jones said officers conducted a pat-down of Rhyan and placed her in the back of a squad car.
Rhyan, who had multiple layers of clothing, broke up a white powdery substance, which field-tested positive for cocaine, in the back of the squad car.
She was moved to a new squad car and did the same in that vehicle as well. Approximately a gram of cocaine was collected from both squads, Jones said.
Officers spoke with the two victims and learned that they had parked a black 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe outside of the Speedway.
Jones said the driver went inside the Speedway but the passenger stayed inside the car.
Rhyan walked up to the car and jumped into the driver’s seat before attempting to push the passenger out of the car, Jones said.
She was unsuccessful in pushing him out but took the driver’s cell phone that was inside the car and attempted to flee the area.
The passenger got out of the car and tackled Rhyan, who then struck the passenger in the face, knocking his glasses off, Jones said.
The driver came out of the store and helped the passenger detain Rhyan until police arrived.
Officers searched Rhyan and recovered one of the victim’s phones in her right pant pocket.
Jones said an officer noticed a blue 2008 Toyota pickup truck at the gas station that had significant damage and was parked with no one around it.
Police called the owner of the vehicle and the son of the owner answered the phone.
He said that his father only speaks Spanish and had been attacked and had his vehicle stolen in North Chicago around 4:30 a.m., Jones said.
The victim called his son because he does not speak English and asked his son to make a police report for him.
The owner of the Toyota truck arrived at the Speedway and positively identified Rhyan as the suspect during a show-up.
That victim told police that he was throwing trash away in a dumpster near the Regency at Coles Park Senior Apartments, 1430 Renken Avenue in North Chicago, Jones said.
His truck was unlocked when Rhyan ran to his truck and got inside, Jones said. The victim pulled her out of the truck to prevent her from driving away.
She then punched him in the face multiple times and got into the car before driving off westbound, Jones said.
The victim was in pain but declined medical attention.
Rhyan was transported to the police department for booking and officers found a glass pipe known for smoking crack cocaine on her person.
Jones said Rhyan denied committing any crimes and said she got into her friend “Clyde’s” truck to use his phone.
Rhyan was charged with vehicular hijacking, a Class 1 felony; attempted vehicular hijacking, a Class 2 felony; and robbery, a Class 2 felony.
She has a history of violent crimes and was in the Lake County Jail last year where she was held for over 1,200 days on multiple offenses.
Rhyan was found unfit and her cases were dismissed on June 24, 2025, and she was released, Jones said.
“A year later, this defendant continues to show that she is a real and present danger to the community at large, as she indiscriminately attacked strangers to get their property,” Jones said.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain her pending trial and Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim granted it during a detention hearing.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Elizabeth Cannon said in court that Rhyan has been arrested approximately 43 times as an adult and has a history of violent offenses, failures to appear in court and failures to abide by court conditions.
Rhyan was arrested in March 2022 after striking a man with an axe during a home invasion in North Chicago.
She remains held in the Lake County Jail following her latest arrest.