Wilmette Carjacking Foiled After Resident Runs Away: Police

WILMETTE, IL — Police said two people were arrested and one remains at large after a botched carjacking attempt Tuesday in Wilmette.

Shortly before 8 p.m., a 911 caller told dispatchers that he had just been approached by three male carjackers as he was loading items into his car in an alley off the 1000 block of Linden Avenue, just east of Green Bay Road, according to Wilmette police.

The trio demanded the resident's car keys and "implied they had a weapon but did not display one," according to a statement from Deputy Chief Patrick Collins. The carjackers' target ran to a neighbors house, where he called 911.

The three would-be carjackers also fled on foot. Wilmette police established a perimeter to search the area with the help of officers from neighboring departments, Collins said.

In a social media post during the search, police said they were looking for three male carjacking suspects who were wearing dark hoodies and last seen in the 500 block of Linden Avenue.

Multiple village residents called 911 to report that they had seen the carjackers in the area, according to Collins. Shortly after 9:15 p.m., one suspect was taken into custody in the alley in the 600 block of Isabella Street and another was found in the 100 block of 6th Street.

One of them, a 17-year-old Chicago boy, has been charged in juvenile court with attempted vehicular hijacking, police said. Charges have not yet been filed against the adult in custody.

Police urged residents not to confront suspected car thieves, since there is a chance they will be carrying guns. Instead, the public was advised to call 911 with detailed descriptions of their appearance, vehicles and direction of travel.

"Residents are reminded, that while these crimes do not occur frequently in our community, they are possible," Collins said. "Wilmette and neighboring communities continue to experience stolen motor vehicles and an increase in catalytic converter thefts."