Pregnant woman run over as she attempted to rescue toddler from car thieves in Illinois
A pregnant Illinois woman was beaten, carjacked and run over in her driveway as her car was stolen — with her 2-year-old son in the backseat, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
The incident unfolded around 3:35 p.m. on Thursday when deputies responded to a residence in the 16000 block of Route 137 in unincorporated Libertyville, about 40 minutes north of Chicago, regarding a carjacking with a 2-year-old in the vehicle.
According to a preliminary investigation, the victim, who is 34, just returned to her residence and pulled into the driveway, authorities say. She brought one of her children inside and came back to get her son when a white, 2000s model BMW with a black bumper and loud exhaust system pulled into her driveway behind her 2021 Volkswagen Atlas.
A man exited the passenger side of the BMW and struggled to get into the woman's Volkswagen as she tried to keep her son safe. The man knocked the woman onto the ground and stole her car — with her son inside. The man and the driver of the BMW fled the scene.
One of them ran her over as they fled, causing serious injuries to her extremities, authorities say. The victim was still able to call 911, and deputies immediately responded.
Soon after, someone worked at a business on Lakeside Drive in Waukegan called 911 to stay they just saw two vehicles enter the parking lot and that the driver of one of the vehicles abandoned a small child, police said. The drivers of both vehicles fled again.
The 911 caller at the business rescued the child before he wandered into a busy roadway. Waukegan authorities responded to the scene and sheriff's personnel confirmed the found child was the abducted child.
The boy is safe and recovering at home while his mother — who is six months pregnant — is being treated for a broken pelvis and a broken elbow at a local hospital, according to affiliate CBS Chicago.
Authorities found the stolen Volkswagen in a parking lot near Casmir Pulaski and Route 43.
Authorities are still looking for the BMW, which was stolen in the past week from a car dealership in Waukegan. Anyone with information is being asked to call the Lake County Sheriff's Criminal Investigations Division at 847-377-4000 or contact Lake County CrimeStoppers at: www.lakecountycrimestoppers.org.
