Cops search for man in Huntley carjacking

At 9:26 a.m., Huntley police officers responded to a report of a taxi driver who had been hit on the neck and was pushed out of his cab in the parking lot at Prime Outlets Mall at the Jane Addams Tollway and Route 47. The cab is a green and white van owned by 303 Taxi out of Chicago.

The driver originally picked up the fare in Hoffman Estates and at the suspect’s request was driving to Rockford, police said. At some point during the ride, the fare asked the driver to stop at the mall.

Once he did, the suspect hit the driver in the neck, pushed him out of the van and drove off. There was an unknown amount of cash in the cab, Deputy Police Chief Michael Klunk said.

The 30-year-old driver is being treated at Sherman Hospital in Elgin for two puncture wounds to his neck. They are classified as nonlife threatening injuries, but the driver will be held overnight for observation, Klunk said.

Meanwhile, using the cab’s GPS system, police tracked the van to Rockford. Rockford officers found it abandoned in the city.

Rockford and Huntley police are searching the city for a black man in his mid 20s who last was seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.

“We have some pretty decent leads, but at this particular point in time we have not identified a specific location or specific individual,” Klunk said.

Police are not disclosing the weapon involved or the Hoffman Estates location where the fare originated.

If you know anything about the case, Huntley police ask that you call its anonymous tip line at

(847) 515-5333 or the police department at (847) 515-5311.