Chicago chaos: Bridgeport mother carjacked at gunpoint in broad daylight
CHICAGO - A Chicago woman is speaking exclusively to FOX 32 after being carjacked right in front of her home.
The Bridgeport mother says she is grateful to be alive, right now surrounded by family and friends.
However, she is terrified to leave her home.
"I'm afraid to leave my house, because I think these kids that did this to me are probably walking the streets right now," she said.
Surveillance footage captured the brazen robbery in the middle of the day. You can hear the victim in the background frantically screaming for help.
"I’m a very aware person, always checking my surroundings," she said.
In the video, an SUV can be seen driving up, three men exit running toward the woman and her vehicle, the victim then fell to the ground and an offender yanked her purse from her.
The suspects then take off in the woman’s Audi truck and their own vehicle they rode up in.
The entire incident happened in 25 seconds on Monday in broad daylight right in front of the victim’s home along West 37th Street.
The 40-year-old says she was held at gunpoint and that she saw five men in total, all appearing under 20-years-old.
The mother of two says she had fears of being robbed because of all the crime currently happening in the city.
"My baby would have been with me, and just because I thought I had that flat tire, I said ‘let me park my car, check out the flat,’ and then I was gonna walk over to the babysitter. And God was 100% with me because they did not care if she was in the car, I can tell you that right now. Because it was brutal. I felt so ambushed. That's the best way to explain it," she said.
Nearby where the armed carjacking happened is a school and church. Had it been 20 minutes earlier, the area would have been packed with small kids.
"That’s why it’s so sickening. I don’t wanna have to leave, but don’t wanna raise children being afraid," she said.
The woman’s car was found, but she says to add insult to injury, she had to pay $150 to retrieve the vehicle from the city pound.
Chicago police say there have been 1,710 carjackings this year compared to 1,303 this same time last year. More than 1,300 people have been arrested for carjacking related offenses in 2021.
As the holiday approaches, even with a gorgeous Christmas tree, the mother of two says she's now living in fear – in the same community where she was born and raised.
"There’s just too many criminals allowed to do this to innocent people and get away with it," she said. "No consequence, nothing at all."
Chicago police say three suspects are in custody: two 17-year-olds and a 14-year-old. Charges include felony vehicular carjacking and felony robbery.