Two Hanover Park men sentenced for carjacking

Two Hanover Park men were sentenced Monday to four years each in prison, after pleading guilty to car jacking.

Jose L. Reyes, 23, and Juan A. Garcia, 26, both of the 600 block of Pinetree, were recommended for impact incarceration, an Illinois Department of Corrections boot camp.

If they qualify for the program, after getting through admission tests and waiting lists, they could be released in six to eight months, or else they would have to serve half the four-year sentence, with credit for good behavior.

On March 21, the two defendants told a Streamwood man they were interested in buying his car, a 1989 black and gold Ford Mustang, and got in together for a test drive, said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Mike Gerber.

Reyes drove while the victim sat in the front passenger seat and Garcia sat in back. Gerber said Garcia grabbed the victim around the throat to choke him, and forced him to pull over and sign the title of the car over to them.

Police said they took his wallet and cell phone and forced him out of the car.

The car was found March 24 in unincorporated Des Plaines.

Hanover Park police conducted surveillance on the car. The next day, they saw two men approach the car and stopped them. One of the men was Reyes, and police later arrested Garcia, who prosecutors said admitted the crime in a police interview.

Prosecutors dropped armed robbery charges.

Reyes was on probation for a prior mob action conviction, and Garcia had no prior criminal record.