LINCOLN PARK — A Lincoln Park man who recently moved to the neighborhood with his family said they chose Wrightwood Avenue because they were looking for a quiet, safe place to live.
But that feeling of safety was shattered when a group of gun-toting teens robbed him of his car in his garage last week.
The man, who asked not to be identified, shared his story with DNAinfo, saying he and his family were returning from an early evening out Oct. 24 when he went to park his car in the rear garage after dropping them off in front about 8 p.m.
According to the man, there had been construction going on in the garage, and he had to get out to move some things around.
Suddenly he was approached by three young men.
"I was standing in my garage and one said, 'Where's Lake Shore Drive?' I saw two of the guys looking up and down the street. So, as soon as he asked me, I grabbed my cellphone and started dialing 911.
"Then he grabbed my phone and pulled out a gun," the man added. "He said, 'This is a robbery, get on the floor.' So he threw me on the floor. He went through my pockets and asked where was the money."
The thief also stole the man's watch and car keys and then the three took off in the Volvo.
"That was really scary," he added. "I ran inside, called the cops, pushed the panic button on my alarm."
The police, he said, "came right away. Within two minutes they were at the house."
His car was equipped with a global positioning system, and with a quick call to Volvo's roadside-assistance line the car was tracked and he handed the call off to the police officers.
Police confirmed Monday that officers found the car on the West Side, "where it was involved in a traffic collision at the intersection of Ohio and Laramie."
The three robbers ran off but were arrested a short time later in the 500 block of North Central Avenue, police said.
"They got my watch back," the man said of the police, and while the Volvo was badly damaged, it was not totaled and is being repaired.
"It's scary. We're new to the area. We're from Florida," the man said. "When we were looking for a place in Chicago, one thing we were looking for was a good place to live that was safe." They thought the 900 block of West Wrightwood fit the bill.
"I never in my life would have imagined that happening," he added. "And Wrightwood is a very, very busy street. At that time of the day, there's people walking up and down the street."
The man said he "wanted to share the story to let people know what is happening in the neighborhood," adding, "I never imagined there was stuff like this going on."
Police said the three thieves, two 17-year-olds and a 16-year-old, were each charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking armed with a firearm. They were also charged as juveniles, as mandated by a new state law that took effect this year intended to keep juveniles out of the prison system.
That didn't sit well with the victim of the armed carjacking.
"That kid could've killed me," he said. "When you rob somebody with a gun, you're willing to shoot them. For some kid to commit a serious crime like that and not face any consequences is utterly ridiculous."
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