Man says he was pistol-whipped, shot during attempted vehicle theft in Morton Grove
A Morton Grove man said it's a miracle he is still alive after two thieves tried to steal his car and shot him.
Now he fears for his family's lives because the thieves are still on the run.
"You can get one that is going to start your car. This one is not going to do it, but you can get one this small that will probably do it, and it will start probably every car," said Julio Nieves at Dempster Auto Care.
Nieves at Dempster Auto Care showed that the diagnostic devices technicians use are how thieves are starting and stealing cars.
Anyone can buy one on Amazon. That's how one homeowner said two thieves started his car on Palma Lane.
"For it to happen in Skokie and Morton Grove, it's very odd," Nieves said.
Early Sunday morning in Morton Grove, the victim said he saw two young men dressed in dark clothing in his car. He said the thieves got in through the sunroof.
While we did speak with the victim, he asked to remain anonymous as he now fears for his family's lives. He said the thief held him at gunpoint. He tried to wrestle the gun away, but was pistol-whipped and shot in the thigh. He is now out of the hospital, but he said the thieves stole his key fob.
"That's an individual choice, we can't second-guess him on that because we weren't there, we didn't have a gun shoved in our face," said former Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Eugene Roy.
He said this victim was under a stressful situation and did what he thought was best. In the end, the thieves did not steal his car, but Roy advises any other victim — let the thieves take it.
"A car is a piece of property — it can always be replaced. You or your loved one cannot be replaced," he said.
The Morton Grove police chief sent a letter to the community acknowledging that they are aware of another car theft earlier this month. In that one, police said the thieves waved guns and fired four rounds at the owner.
Village President Janine Witko, in a statement, said, "The two incidents that occurred this month are shocking and completely out of character for Morton Grove. Our community is safe, and incidents like this are extremely rare here. Our Police Department is working these cases aggressively and will do everything in their power to bring those responsible to justice. I have been briefed by our public safety leadership and am confident in the strategies they are using to investigate these crimes and to prevent individuals from coming into Morton Grove to carry out this type of criminal activity. Our officers are working closely with neighboring agencies, using technology and shared intelligence to disrupt criminal activity and prevent further incidents. Morton Grove will always do everything in our power locally to protect our residents. At the same time, we need to continue working with our partners at every level of government to make sure our laws truly deter violent crime and keep dangerous individuals off our streets."
Police said in both incidents, the thieves drove off in a dark sedan. No arrests have been made in either case, and police are not sure if they are connected, but they are investigating.
