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Ex-Chicago Cop Gets Would-Be Carjacker

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Carjackers picked the wrong man in Streeterville Friday night.

Three juveniles, the youngest 14, are now in custody after attempting to steal the car of a retired Chicago police officer.

CBS 2's Dorothy tucker reports he had returned home to visit friends and family.

At the Double Tree Hotel, from their room on the 9th floor, Sherry Randle and Ricky Fobbs can pinpoint the spot where they became victims of an attempted carjacking.

"I'm upset," says Randle.

Friday evening, shortly after 7:00, the two parked outside the hotel and were about to check in when they saw a man jump into their car.

"My reaction was I gotta stop him," says Fobbs. "I chased down the car, snatched the passenger and jumped in the car."

Most would probably not react that way.

But Fobbs is a Texas Marshal from Dallas and a retired Chicago police officer who worked in Streeterville.

With 20 years on the force, the training kicked in.

"When he reached once for his pocket. I grabbed his hand and and did a wrist-lock on his hand," says Fobbs.

In phone video shot by a bystander, Fobbs is seen on top of the suspect after he dragged him out the car.

"A lot of grappling, take-down moves to keep him from squirming and from resisting," says Fobbs.

All the time Fobbs and his girlfriend are asking people to call the police.

Strangers come to their aid.

"You see the citizens holding the guy's leg," says Randle pointing to the video.

"I really don't expect less. I know his background and how passionate he is about his friends and family and people in general," says Randle about Fobbs.

With a spike in carjackings, Chicago police are forming a special task force.

The department will join forces with some suburban police departments and federal authorities to try to combat the problem.

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