Skokie Carjacking Leads To Arrest Of Man Out On Bail For Gun Charge
SKOKIE, IL — Two people were taken into custody early Tuesday after a freshly carjacked Camry crashed while trying to flee Evanston cops, authorities said.
One of the two arrested by Evanston police appeared in court for an initial court appearance Wednesday, while the second is in Skokie police custody awaiting charges, according to prosecutors. Two other suspects who fled the scene remain at large.
Antoine Wells, 20, of Skokie, was sitting in the rear driver’s side of the stolen car at the time of the crash, and was chased down by police and arrested after tossing a loaded gun with an extended clip, authorities said.
Find out what's happening in Skokiewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Prosecutors from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved felony charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and criminal trespass to motor vehicle and misdemeanor charges of possession of a firearm and ammunition without having a firearm owners identification card.
Four masked gunmen carjacked a Skokie resident’s Toyota Camry in the 8500 block of Skokie Boulevard around midnight, according to Assistant State’s Attorney Joe DiBella.
Find out what's happening in Skokiewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Just 78 minutes later, an Evanston police officer spotted the stolen car near the intersection of Dempster Street and Chicago Avenue and tried to pull it over, but the driver lost control and the Camry spun out, the prosecutor said.
Wells, one of the four occupants, reportedly ran from the car clutching his waistband before officers caught up to him behind a house in the 2000 block of Ashland Avenue.
“[Wells] tried to run between the houses to get to Ashland but was stopped by the fence and stairs,” DiBella said.
And when police found a Glock 9mm loaded with a 25-round extended magazine that appeared to have been tossed during the chase, he said Wells told police that his “fingerprints will definitely be on that bitch.”
DiBella told Associate Judge Anthony Calabrese that police also found another gun in the stolen car.
“How come he’s not charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking? Has there been a decision made in that regard yet?” Calabrese asked.
“At this point, all the facts that I recited are all the facts I have at this point,” DiBella said. “We are just going on the gun charges, as of yet.”
At the time of his arrest, Wells was out on bond in connection with another gun charge.
In that case, Cook County prosecutors charged him with misdemeanor illegal gun possession after police called to a domestic disturbance that Wells had retrieved a .22 caliber rifle from a back room of an apartment, “picked up the rifle and demanded the individuals in the apartment to leave,” although he did not point the gun at anyone, DiBella said.
Wells has previously been charged with robbery indicating a firearm, mob action, assault and disorderly conduct as a juvenile. As an adult, he has received deferred prosecution for a drug charge and supervision in exchange for a plea of guilty to a firearm misdemeanor, according to prosecutors.
His court-appointed attorney, Assistant Public Defender Jarnail Kanda, said Wells is single, has one child and works in the dog grooming business.
Prior to setting the cash portion of Wells’ bond at $25,000, Calabrese said the carjacking allegations were the most concerning.
“This particular defendant is armed, he’s armed not just with a pistol, but he’s armed with a pistol with an extended magazine that allows him to unleash 25 rounds, and he’s chambered one of those rounds so that he can immediately fire the weapon at whoever he chooses,” Calabrese said.
The judge noted that fleeing police can be used as evidence of guilt.
“And [Wells] was first and least successful of those who attempted to flee,” Calabrese said.
Wells is due back in court June 7 for bond review and a potential preliminary hearing.
“As to whether or not Skokie decides to prosecute [him] for the armed vehicular hijacking,” the judge said, “they may suspect he was involved in it or not.”
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
Click Here: harlequin rugby jersey
