Would-Be Carjacker Foiled, Can't Drive Stick Shift: Cops

LaDelle Cox, 23 | Cook County Sheriff

Oak Lawn, IL -- A would-be carjacker choose the wrong the car to steal when he realized he couldn’t operate a manual transmission, reports said.

LaDelle Cox, 23, of Chicago, was charged with one felony count of vehicular hijacking.

Oak Lawn police responded to a call of a man with a gun at Credit Union 1, 5535 W. 95th St., around 3:15 p.m. July 8.

While en route, dispatch advised police that man wearing a red shirt and dark shorts was walking eastbound on 95th Street minutes before the call was made.

An employee told officers of watching a man, identified as Cox, display a gun and talking to a customer who had just left the credit union, police said.

Her attention was drawn to the men because they kept switching places in the driver’s seat and getting out of the car several times, which she found odd.

According to the report, she continued watching when she observed the man that the customer was talking to get out of the car and pull out of a large silver revolver out for a few seconds and then put it back into his pocket.

Officers said the employee did not see the man point the gun or threaten anyone, she was alarmed enough to call police. The customer left the lot in the car and the man began walking in the opposite direction down 95th Street.

Detectives stopped a man matching the description at 95th Street and Brandt Avenue. The employee was brought to the scene and positively identified Cox, reports said.

A few minutes later, the customer returned to the credit union. He, too, was brought to where Cox was being held and positively identified him, police said.

The customer later told police that he had gone to the credit union to withdraw money for a down payment on a car. After he put his cash into a backpack inside his trunk, he was approached by Cox, who allegedly asked him for a dollar.

When the customer said he couldn’t help him, Cox allegedly pulled out a large, black handled, silver revolver and “just kind of held it there not pointing it at me.”

The customer told police that when Cox was couldn’t start the car, he asked,‘ how do you put this f---ing in reverse?”

Police said Cox slid over to the passenger seat and told the customer “you’re going to drive me then.”

Informed by the customer that he wasn’t getting back in the car, Cox slid back into the driver’s seat ordered the the customer to put the car in reverse, the report said.

When the customer told Cox the car had a manual transmission and he wasn’t going to teach him how to drive it, police said he reached into the car and released the emergency brake.

The car rolled slightly backways before Cox got out of the vehicle. The customer got behind the wheel as Cox tried to enter the front passenger seat, but the car door was locked.

Cox allegedly went to the driver’s side and told the customer the alleged carjacking was a “prank.” He demonstrated that his gun, a Bear River Air Soft, was fake by shooting it toward the ground.

The customer told police that Cox asked if he could give him a ride, and tried to shake his hand “like we were friends,” the report said.

Police said the customer drove away from Cox, went to the dealer to put money down on a new vehicle, then returned to the credit union to file a report.

According to police, Cox gave a volunteer statement corroborating the customer’s story. He was charged and appeared in bond court at 26th and California, where bail was set at $300,000.

Cox is due back in court in Bridgeview on July 21.