Two men charged in violent carjacking caught on camera in Chicago
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two men were facing charges Wednesday night in a frightening carjacking that was caught on surveillance camera in Chicago's Beverly neighborhood.
Damarri Conner, 20, and Kenneth Merritt, 26, both of Chicago, are each charged with one felony count of aggravated vehicular hijacking with a firearm, and two felony counts of armed robbery with a firearm.
Conner and Merritt were arrested Tuesday in the 9700 block of South Merrion Avenue and the 8000 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue, respectively, police said.
Conner is also charged with three misdemeanor counts of resisting or obstructing a peace officer.
The violent intrusion happened just steps from the family's door on South Pleasant Avenue Thursday, Nov. 2. Two people armed with guns ran up to Michele Pettiford and her 12-year-old daughter – who had just pulled into their garage in the back of their Beverly home.
The attackers pushed Pettiford to the ground and demanded the car keys.
"I thought that I wasn't going to be here anymore," Pettiford said last week.
The carjacking was recorded on a Ring camera. Video footage shows Michele's husband, Jeff, walking out of their back door as the carjackers have a gun pointed at his wife.
Their daughter ran inside their house, shut the door, and called police as one of the criminals ran after her.
Meanwhile, the suspects became increasingly angry looking for the keys to Michele's car, as she repeatedly cried out, "They're in my purse!"
The video shows Jeff trying to de-escalate the situation by telling the carjackers to take his car parked in the driveway with the keys inside. He even helped them start his car.
The two suspects eventually jumped into his car and drove off, leaving the terrified parents on the ground in their own backyard.
Thieves struck again at the Pettiford home this week. It appears the garage door opener and car keys stolen five days earlier were used to unlock and steal the family's second car Tuesday morning.
The vehicle was tracked by license plate readers and POD cameras near 97th Street and Merrill Avenue miles to the east, where it was later recovered.
Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th) said detectives believe they returned Tuesday morning, opened the garage, and stole the other car.
"These are savages who committed these crimes and I wouldn't be surprised if these offenders were repeat offenders so we are closing in," O'Shea said this week.
Conner and Merritt are due for a detention hearing in Cook County Criminal Court Thursday.
