Girls charged in violent carjacking of Chicago rideshare driver caught on video

CHICAGO - Two teenage girls were charged in connection with the violent carjacking of a rideshare driver that was caught on video last week in Chinatown.

The girls, 17 and 15, were accused of being part of a trio who around 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday assaulted the driver with a pipe and drove off in his car near the intersection of 22nd Place and Princeton Avenue, according to police.

"I park my car and I walk out, and I start to walk toward the apartment, and three Black females jump on me, hold me, and grab me and took my car key," said Danxin Shi.

The surveillance footage reveals two females forcibly taking the victim to the ground, and shortly after, a third person joins in the assault. Shockingly, one of the attackers is seen striking the Chinatown resident with a pipe.

Following the attack, the assailants took the victim's car keys and entered his vehicle. Despite the victim's attempts to stop them by getting on the car's hood, the women sped away with his car.

"I tried to block them, but I can’t because they’re starting the car," said Shi.

The 17-year-old was arrested Wednesday in the Fuller Park neighborhood.  A day later, the 15-year-old was taken into custody on the Near West Side.

Both girls were charged with one count of aggravated vehicular hijacking with a weapon and one count of aggravated battery of a victim over 60 years old, both felonies. They have not been identified because they are juveniles.

Though in good spirits, the victim suffered from scrapes and bruising as a result of the attack. He spoke out about the incident, describing how the assailants had ambushed him.

"He is a brave man, that’s sometimes what we need as a police department, is people that are not afraid to step forward and tell their story," said Capt. Mike Poppish with the Chicago Police Department’s 9th District.