Would-be car thieves fire shots at witness in Oak Lawn before fleeing scene, trying to carjack woman
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Oak Lawn police are searching for suspects after an attempted car theft turned into a shooting on a residential street Monday morning.
Police said, around 4:50 a.m., officers responded to a call of shots fired on the 5400 block of 9th Place.
A witness told police they had seen three men next to his neighbor's 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and after shining a light at them, one of them began shooting at the witness.
One neighbor said he heard a total of four gunshots.
"I heard two more, and I looked out and saw a car, and I saw they're shooting. So then I slouched down, and then about five seconds later, I saw the car go eastbound and then turn down right," James Fandl said.
At least three bullets went through the front windows of a home and the glass storm door on the block.
Neighbors said a family of four, with at least two children, lives in the home that was shot up. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
After firing shots at the home, the would-be thieves sped away in a blue Mercedes SUV, crashing into a tree at the end of the block.
Police said, after crashing into the tree, four people in the Mercedes tried to carjack a woman who was driving south on Minnick Avenue with her child. One of the four would-be carjackers pointed a gun at her, while another tried to open the passenger side door, but she managed to drive away unharmed.
Jeep Cherokee SRTs have been one of the most targeted cars in recent carjackings in the Chicago area. They do have a design flaw where the alarm does not go off when that small back window is smashed, so it's very possible they targeted that car instead of any others that were parked out here because of that reason.
Police said they are still investigating with no one in custody at this time.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Oak Lawn Police Detective Division at (708)907-4051 or text tips to (708) 613-8477.
