Carjackings Up By 30% In Baltimore City
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Carjackings are on the rise in Baltimore city.
They are up 30 percent compared to the same time last year.
"Carjackings, specifically, we've seen a spike in those," Baltimore City Council President Brandon Scott said.
According to Open Baltimore, there have been more than 440 reported carjackings citywide, according to data last updated Saturday.
The highest increases in carjackings have happened in southeast and southwest Baltimore.
They are up in all but two districts.
Here's the breakdown across the city:
- Citywide: up 30%
- SW: up 87%
- SE: up 82%
- Eastern: up 67%
- NE: up 60%
- Northern: up 25%
- NW: up 13%
- Western: up 9%
- Central: down 7%
- Southern: down 32%
Recently, there have been several high-profile cases of carjackings.
Back in April, on Easter Sunday, three teens punched a 78-year-old man in Guilford and threw him out of his vehicle before driving off with it.
In September, a man's car was stolen on the 2200 block of Park Avenue after he gave a ride to a group of teenagers who shot him in the back, before getting away.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said those who steal cars often don't just stop at carjacking.
"When they are committing carjackings, they are stealing those cars from residents and from people so that they can use them to commit other crimes and to joyride," Harrison said.