2 teens charged with beating, carjacking, running over pregnant woman in 2023 Libertyville incident
LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. (CBS) — Two suspects were charged with beating, carjacking, and running over a pregnant woman with her 2-year-old son in the backseat in Libertyville in 2023.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday that the suspects, both 17 at the time, one from Waukegan and the other from Lindenhurst, were charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking and vehicular hijacking.
Their identities were not released as they were juveniles at the time of the crime.
On Feb. 23, just after 3:35 p.m., a 34-year-old woman pulled into her driveway near Buckley Road and Milwaukee Avenue. She took her older son inside while her 2-year-old son was still in the backseat. That's when a white BMW occupied by two people pulled in behind the victim's Volkswagen, blocking her in.
One of the occupants exited the BMW and attempted to get inside her car. He then battered the woman, causing her to fall to the ground, and then took off in the Volkswagen with the 2-year-old still inside — running her over as both cars left the scene.
The woman, who was six months pregnant at the time, was able to call 911, and she was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with a broken pelvis and a broken elbow.
The 2-year-old was found about 15 minutes later in a business parking lot in the 2200 block of Lakeside Drive after an employee called to report seeing the vehicles and retrieving the child. The Volkswagen was later found in another parking lot near Casimir Pulaski and Route 43.
Detectives combed through multiple surveillance videos and evidence reports and performed multiple interviews during a seven-month investigation — ultimately identifying the two suspects as the persons responsible for the crime. Both, now 19, were in custody on unrelated charges. Because of their age at the time, they were referred to the juvenile court system.
The office said they're working to have these charges transferred and have both tried in adult court.
