Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0

Another Concealed Carry License holder in Chicago defends himself. Chicago shooting: Teen boy charged after being shot by CCL holder in Gresham carjacking attempt on 82nd Street, CPD says - ABC7 Chicago

A 16-year-old boy, who was shot in an attempted carjacking early Thursday on the South Side, has been charged, Chicago police said.

Auburn-Gresham, or just Gresham, is one of the 77 neighborhoods in Chicago. It is on the southwest side of the city. According to HeyJackass! it is currently the 7th most dangerous neighborhood in the city. It has seen 30 homicides and 78 wounded by gunfire. I don't believe that number includes this story. Quite a total for 3.77 square miles.

Police said he was involved, less than an hour earlier, with spraying a "chemical irritant" at a 47-year-old man, while taking his vehicle by force in the same block in Gresham.

He is charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking. He won't spend any time in jail before trial, which won't be anytime soon.

So what were you doing when you were 16?

At least the law-abiding of Chicago have no longer been disarmed for their own protection.

The Gig Economy Meets the Breakdown of Law & Order in Blue Cities

Or at least in Chicago. From WGN we get the following. Robbers exploit delivery, rideshare services to target drivers in Garfield Park thefts

On Wednesday, CPD issued a community alert concerning several incidents in which a group of 2-4 males made use of food delivery and rideshare services to lure victims to their location.

In these incidents, the males rob the driver of their personal belongings, their vehicle, or both.

I don't know the policy at the food delivery apps, like Door Dash, but I know that in the not too distant past, both Uber and Lyft instituted policies where drivers were forbidden to be armed. The upshot is if one ever defends himself, he is barred from the app, and loses his gig income. I don't doubt that Door Dash et al have similar policies. Most of the large pizza companies insist that their drivers be disarmed as well. Aside from making them easier to rob, I'm not really sure what the reasoning is

Now the good news, if there is any good news in Chicago, the reported incidents are limited to one neighborhood. Once rideshare and delivery drivers refuse to go into that neighborhood, I expect the powers that be to lament "rideshare deserts," or something.

No arrests have been made.

Concealed Carry in Wisconsin

What would you do if confronted by 5 bad guys, at least one of whom was armed?

Wisconsin's gun laws, which allow for concealed carry, and don't impose restrictive magazine limits, gave this guy a fighting chance.

The criminals were violating the gun laws on a couple of fronts. Passing more gun laws would not do anything to stop the criminals; they were already ignoring gun laws.

The Second Amendment isn't about pretending to be a cowboy or a secret agent, it's about having the means to protect yourself when danger strikes.

Cops were nearby. They heard the gunshots. That didn't allow them to protect anyone. They were on scene in short order to deal with the aftermath, but without the means of self-defense, that aftermath could have been very different.

The car the bad guys were using was also stolen. So should we pass more laws against stealing cars? Would that make it extra-illegal to steal cars and then stop the carjacking?

This is the Colion Noir video Armed Citizen Takes On 5 Car Jackers At Wisconsin Gas Station

Here is a news article on the incident. Armed robbery attempt ends with gunfire exchange in Wauwatosa, 1 person in serious condition

A 911 call was received from a person who reported being shot at the gas station, according to police. The victim told officials that five suspects, one of whom was armed, confronted him while he was pumping gas and attempted to steal his car. An exchange of gunfire ensued, as the victim was reportedly also armed, and the suspects fled in their car. As the subsequent police pursuit ended in a crash, multiple people reportedly fled the car.

Concealed Carry in California Catches Bad Guys Off Guard

Who expects concealed carry in San Diego County? Driver Chases Off Carjacking Suspect; Police Find, Arrest Man Hiding in Nearby Backyard - Times of San Diego

He was trying to pull his Mercedes into an apartment complex when two guys got out of a truck and "confronted" him.

The suspects persuaded the victim to get out of the Mercedes and attempted to rob him. But the victim, who it turns out holds a concealed weapons permit, took out a weapon and fired a shot, causing the suspects to flee on foot.

People called 911, including to report someone hiding in their backyard.

One of the suspects was eventually arrested.

This whole self-defense thing is really catching on in California.

Homeowners in Florida Are Armed

This guy didn't get that memo. Man shot after trying to carjack homeowner in Herlong area, Jacksonville police say from Action News Jax

Officers stopped a car because they thought it was stolen. The driver pushed a passenger out of the car, and sped off. That car was abandoned nearby.

After abandoning the car, the man was running on the 2000 block of Oxbow Road and approached homeowners, [Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Karen] Dukes said.

He entered a garage, and tried to carjack an armed homeowner. He ran away after an exchange of gunfire, but came back and tried again.

That homeowner told the suspect he was in fear and told him to stay away. Dukes said the suspect kept advancing and the homeowner shot him in the leg.

The car was reported stolen, and the homeowner is not being charged at this time, because Self Defense, in addition to being a Human Right, is also your legal right in Florida. The investigation is ongoing.

What Did You Do at 12 Years of Age for Fun?

I don't think carjacking was high on the list, but that is just a guess. 12-year-old among 4 detained following Loop carjacking - CWB Chicago

Three boys, ages 12 to 16, face charges after a man was carjacked in the Loop on Thursday evening. Charges are pending against a fourth suspect, according to Chicago police.

Armed carjacking of course.

This story is a bit odd, because he wasn't driving at the time. They took his keys, and found his car nearby, so I guess it applies.

Cops located the vehicle on the Dan Ryan Expressway, and they were stopped shortly after that in the Loop.

There is no cash bail in Illinois anymore, so I don't expect them to do any time in the next few years. A speedy trial? Don't make me laugh.

He Suffered a Failure of the Victim-selection Process

He tried to carjack an undercover cop. Louisville police say man fatally shot while trying to carjack undercover police officers - WDRB

This is an older story, from a little over a month ago, but I found it by way of the Active Self Protection YouTube channel. There is a link below.

They were on a stakeout. He decided that he wanted the car, so he approached the car with a gun in his hand and opened the driver's side door. He was shot and killed.

The father of the dead guy stated that his son wasn't trying to carjack anyone. Of course the video - the officers were wearing body-worn cameras - tell a slightly different story. But families of dead people often have a problem with self-defense.

The guy that the cops were really after, turned himself in after the shooting. I guess he figured that these cops were serious, and he didn't want to end up shot.

Active Self Protection YouTube channel has the video Baby Mama Hysteric After Officer Shoots Her Carjacker Boyfriend which contains commentary on the body camera video.

WDRB also released the video last month. You can find that at the following link: VIDEO | Body camera footage shows undercover Louisville police officer shoot, kill suspected carjacker.

Law & Order and Property Rights Mean Nothing

Welcome to the 21st Century in large American cities. 5 years for carjacker who lost fight with 60-year-old victim in the Loop - CWB Chicago

He opened the driver's door and started punching the guy in the head. He ended up pinned to the ground by the driver. Bystanders flagged down police, and the would-be bad guy was arrested.

Prosecutors say Moore admitted that he tried to take the victim’s vehicle because it “looked like a nice car.” The hijacking attempt was captured on surveillance video.

Violently attack someone because they have something you don't, and you want it. That sounds like the reasoning of a two year old, not a twenty-two year old.

Civilization was nice while it lasted.

What Were You Doing When You Were 15 Years Old?

I'm guessing that carjacking and murder were not on the list of things to do. Michael Salerno murder: 15-year-old suspect wanted in deadly attempted carjacking on Porter Street in South Philadelphia - 6abc Philadelphia

Philadelphia police are searching for a 15-year-old suspect who is wanted in connection with a deadly attempted carjacking last week.

Michael Salerno, 50, was shot and killed around 10:45 p.m. on July 12 at 12th and Porter streets.

Investigators say Salerno was shot when three males, thought to be between 15 and 20 years old, were trying to carjack his vehicle.

There are more details, like the fact that they appear to have been hunting for a victim, and were "aggressive from the start." Click thru.

Hat tip to The Other McCain: Death in ‘Killadelphia’

Nothing to see here. Just a 15-year-old killer at large.

Civilization was nice while it lasted.

Keeping Criminals in Jail Is Unfair - Canadian Edition

Ontario has a car theft problem. Halton police chief warns auto theft now at 'epidemic proportions' | Toronto Sun

“The serious and very highly organized crime of auto theft has reached epidemic proportions in Ontario,” added [Halton Police Chief Steve] Tanner. “In Halton we had over 1,200 vehicles stolen in 2022 and in 2023 see an increase of 60% from those staggering numbers.”

Halton, Ontario is basically a portion of suburban Toronto.

You can click thru for the details of how they get out on bond fairly quickly, and go right back to stealing. Why do they? Because this is big business.

“The vehicles are most often destined for the Port of Montreal, where they are sold at tremendous profits,” said Tanner. “The cost to the insurance industry, and thereby to all Ontarians, would be in the billions of dollars.

Justice is not the same as Social Justice. Stamping out crime is one of the core duties of government, and it seems that in cities all over North America, the Criminal Justice System has decided that is mean. Or something.

Carjackings in Chicago Set 6 Month Record

The statistics are what caught my attention. 3 in custody after woman is carjacked in Lincoln Park garage; another hijacking reported in Wicker Park - CWB Chicago

So 3 people are in custody. Will they be released as soon as they are in front of a judge? (No bail. Keeping violent people in jail is unfair.)

But on to the statistics.

Hijacking reports continue to outpace last year’s record-setting number, according to CPD data. Police recorded 806 cases during the first six months of the year, up from 760 during the period last year, 472 in the first half of 2020, and 251 as of July 1, 2019.

June also outpaced the same month last year, with 143 cases compared to 129. According to the city’s data portal, there were 114 in June 2020 and 47 in June 2019.

What happens when the powers in a city set out on a course to destroy law and order. You get increased crime.

See my standard reference to what Hobbes called The State of War. Soft-on-crime leads to more crime. Are we shocked?

This Is Completely Out of Control.

Not just in Chicago, but this story is about my old home. Two teenagers are charged with carjacking a driver in the West Loop on Sunday night - CWB Chicago

While the details of the story are interesting, I'm interested in the statistics.

CPD recorded 698 carjackings this year through June 10, slightly more than the 666 cases reported during the period last year. The comparative periods saw 400 cases in 2020 and 215 in 2019.

From May 1 through June 10, there were 148 carjackings citywide, roughly the same as the 143 cases reported during the period last year. In 2020, there were 138 cases during the period and only 60 in 2019.

According to HeyJackass! and 2022 Carjack-O-Rahm-A arrests were made in 6% of carjackings this year, which is slightly better than the past 2 years. (HeyJackass! is the only site on crime stats to trust in Chicago. CPD has been known to cook the books.)

Carjack City?

Sure they have a problem, but they need perspective. NYC carjackings continue to spike, NYPD stats show

“New York has become carjack city,” one NYPD official told The Post. “Between the guns and the low-risk of stealing cars, we’ve seen this explosion in carjackings.”

From 2018 to last year, carjackings in the five boroughs shot up 355 percent — led by a staggering 4,400-percent jump in the NYPD’s Manhattan North borough command and increases of more than 400 percent in the Bronx and Brooklyn North commands, the statistics show.

Percentages can be both informative, and misleading. Sure, NYC has a growing problem with carjackings. The raw numbers are more interesting. There were 510 NYC carjacking in 2021, 328 in 2020, and 112 in 2018. (No data was provided for 2019.)

By comparison, Chicago had 1,848 carjackings in 2021, 1,413 in 2020, and 775 in 2018. I would say that calls into question NYC's claim to being carjack city. [Update: Fixed the year for 2020, and provided a link.]

Judges cannot set bail for defendants charged with car theft under New York’s criminal justice reform law. But carjackers are typically charged with first- or second-degree robbery, which is still eligible for bail in the Empire State.

Still, I wonder what the new Manhattan non-prosecutor will do about carjacking. He says not prosecuting crime will make the people of New York safer.

Karma and Anti-police Politicians

The Other McCain brings us Ironic Justice: Two Anti-Police Lawmakers Get Carjacked

These stories were covered earlier in the week, but as usually Robert Stacy McCain has more details.

The Biden DOJ, which has been ignoring (or perhaps encouraging) the year-long violent crime wave in America, sprang into action once the criminals targeted a Democratic congresswoman.

Some stats on the state of Carjacking, various bits of info from the U.S. Attorney's website, and more.

The Epidemic of Carjacking

It has gotten completely out of control. As Chicago carjackings soar, police arresting more kids

There have been more than 750 reported carjackings in Chicago in 2021, putting the city on pace to surpass last year’s 1,413 incidents, the highest total in at least a decade.

That’s not the only troubling trend.

Kids are doing a lot of this crime, because they face no consequences.

Chicago police declined to comment for this story, although publicly police officials have blamed the increase on a court system that they say goes too easy on juveniles.

This problem isn't limited to Chicago.

Concealed Carry Stops Carjacking

Not before the good guy got shot. Fountain View robbery: Man shot 7 times in McDonald's parking lot

Houston police have just released surveillance video of a violent robbery that happened on May 28 in which the victim was shot seven times.

They hope someone may recognize the suspect they believe is responsible for not only this crime but another violent robbery that happened on May 7.

As they say in the video at that link, "Always be aware of your surroundings." Cops believe he was followed/targeted because he was driving a BMW convertible.

Hat tip to The Other McCain and Robbery Victim Shot Seven Times, But He Survived. Why? Because He Shot Back

It’s 2021, Joe Biden is president and the judges everywhere are turning loose violent criminal because “social justice” or whatever. You may think you’re safe because you live in a “good” neighborhood, but bad guys from bad neighborhoods might decide to visit your neighborhood.

Some Measure of Justice for Mohammad Anwar

Not enough. 13-Year-Old Girl Pleads Guilty for DC Carjacking That Killed Uber Eats Driver.

Mohammad Anwar, 66, was working as an Uber Eats driver near Nationals Park when a 13-year-old girl and 15-year-old girl carjacked him

This was the story that was all over the news, in March, mostly because of the security camera footage of the incident.

The girl pleaded guilty in juvenile court to second-degree murder. Other charges will be dropped. Under the maximum sentence, she would be released once she turns 21.

The 15-year-old pleaded guilty last month, and should be sentenced this week. The 13-year-old should be sentenced in July.

Carjacking - The Other Epidemic

The Other McCain starts us off with, Philadelphia: Carjack City, U.S.A.

Carjackings increased 80% last year in Philadelphia, when there were 404 carjackings, and January’s numbers show an even further rise

Chicago might have something to say about Philadelphia being "Carjack City, USA." Chicago police arrest 210 suspected carjackers in first 50 days of 2021.

Carjackings rose about 135% last year to 1,415 and continue at a high pace this year, police statistics show. CPD recorded 218 carjackings in January 2021 – a staggering spike from the 77 reported during the same time last year, authorities previously told Fox News.

That is a lot of carjacking, though they have apparently also arrested a lot of people, but my guess (fear?) is that what passes for the Criminal Justice System in Chicago and Cook County will turn most of them free with no-cash bond. Of course Illinois is in the process of eliminating cash bail, so there is that.

It is tough to find stories that capture "year-over-year" or month to month comparisons. That might be because we are in the middle of February.

What it isn't hard to find are stories of carjackings. Here are just a few.

• Indianapolis: IMPD arrests 5 juveniles in connection to armed robbery, armed carjacking incidents
• Maryland: 23-Year-Old Who Came to America ‘Looking for a Safer Country' Killed in Carjacking
• Ohio: Juvenile arrested, 2 at large in Sycamore Twp carjacking
• Wisconsin: Two Milwaukee men have been charged with armed carjacking at a Menomonee Falls hotel
• Nashville: Murder suspect arrested after carjacking, kidnapping two women
• Orlando: Orlando Police asking public to identify carjacking suspect
• Albuquerque: Carjacking suspect will remain in jail until trial

I could go on at length.

When you make something cheap, you get more of it. In Chicago - which is really the only city I track closely, and that for sentimental reasons - has decided that it won't punish most criminals. The cops arrest them, and the State's Attorney's office (run by Crimesha, also known as Kim Foxx), together with the judges, turn them loose. And guess what... They offend again.

Things are going to get a lot worse before anyone dares to utter the words, "Tough on Crime" during an election.

Uber Driver Takes a Bite Out of Crime

Or at least a bite out of a criminal. CHOMP! Uber driver bit chunk out of would-be carjacker's eyebrow, prosecutor says | CWB Chicago

But, she said, Brown only managed to get the car into neutral, so he had to resort to fighting with the driver, who chomped down on his left eyebrow as they struggled for control of the vehicle.

A private security guard who was working nearby came to the Uber driver’s aid. The guard scuffled with Brown and placed him into custody until police arrived, D’Antignac said.

As for the ultimate outcome, the State's Attorney's office has charged some appropriate charges, but they have a habbit of dropping things because of some type of "adjective" justice, which is very different from regular, old-fashioned Justice.

Prosecutors charged the brow-bitten carjacker, Allen Brown, with vehicular hijacking and misdemeanor battery. He also has a juvenile armed robbery case pending, Assistant State’s Attorney Franka D’Antignac said during his bond court appearance Friday.

Uber drivers (and Lyft) are disarmed by corporate policy. As a result they are often the victims of carjacking.

Chicago Has an Epidemic of Carjacking

The previous post was about Philadelphia, but that city is not alone in having problems. Carjackings Chicago: CPD, community team up in effort to protect women, elderly from car theft - ABC7 Chicago

First, the statistics, which are actually at the end of the article, because it is bad news, and reporters don't like to report that Democratic-Party-Controlled cities have severe problems with crime.

In the first month of this year, Chicago police reported 218 carjackings, a 283% increase when compared to the same time period last year. In January 2020, there were 77 carjackings.

The powers that be - or pretend to be - are implementing a strategy. It is an easy fix in certain ways, and because it is easy, I doubt that it will work the way they hope.

Extra security, including Chicago police officers are currently in place at some Chicago gas stations, in an effort to protect residents from the recent dramatic uptick in carjackings.

Now Chicago police will team up with those same monitors to escort women and seniors to their cars at several grocery stores and gas stations on the South Side.

They hope this will reduce the number of carjackings. I doubt it. It will push the carjacking to other locations. (Police won't be guarding every street corner.) People - as the elderly woman in the previous post was - will be attacked when they are getting home from shopping instead of at the shopping center.

But cops and politicians will be able to say, "See, we are doing something!" Even if what they are doing is pointless in the end. Because the politicians, the lawyers and the judges cannot admit that their entire strategy to make things fair and reduce incarceration is destroying law and order.

The previous post on the situation in Philadelphia can be found at this link.