Man charged with carjacking another man at gunpoint in Lincoln Park

A man was charged Sunday with carjacking another man along Cannon Drive in the north lakefront park of Lincoln Park early Sunday.

Benjamin Villanueva, 32, of the Englewood neighborhood, was charged with one count each of aggravated vehicular hijacking with a firearm, aggravated battery to a peace officer, and possession of a weapon by a felon — all felonies. He was also charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass to real property and aggravated assault.

Villanueva had also been wanted in a warrant, police said.

Villanueva was arrested at 1:03 a.m. Sunday in the 3200 block of North Wilton Avenue in Lakeview, close to the Belmont Avenue Red-Brown-Purple Line stop.

Police said minutes earlier, he took a car at gunpoint from a 47-year-old man in the 2500 block of North Cannon Drive.

This stretch of Cannon Drive between the busy intersection of Sheridan Road and Diversey Parkway and the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum at Fullerton Drive is busy during the day, but can be isolated deep in the park at night. That area of the park of Lincoln Park is located just east of the neighborhood of the same name.

Police said Villanueva was quickly arrested and charged.

He was due for a detention hearing on Monday.