Man arrested, charged with attempted carjacking in Elgin, pushing woman

A 20-year-old man has been arrested and charged with trying to carjack a vehicle in Elgin Friday afternoon, pushing a mom and her child to the ground and punching another person who tried to stop him.

Jaime Gonzalez, of the 2000 block of South 50 Court, Cicero, is charged with vehicular invasion, attempted vehicular hijacking, burglary and three counts of aggravated battery - all felonies, according to Kane County court records and Elgin police.

Police were called at 2:59 p.m. Friday to the 900 block of North Liberty Street on the city's east side for a report of a person trying to steal a vehicle. A woman and her 1-year-old child were inside the 2012 Nissan Rogue when Gonzalez "physically gained control of the vehicle," according to a social media post by the police department.

The woman yelled for help as she was able to escape from the vehicle with her child; witnesses confronted Gonzalez and he ran away and was arrested by police a short time later, police said.

The victim and her child had minor injuries from being pushed. The burglary charge stems from Gonzalez reaching into the vehicle and trying to take an electronic device, said Elgin police spokeswoman Kristie Hilton.

Gonzalez also is charged with punching and knocking down another person who struggled with him, police said.

"The victim thought and acted quickly alerting others for assistance and we are thankful for these bystanders who then assisted the victim," said Police Chief Ana Lalley in a social media post by the department. "These actions contributed to the quick apprehension of Mr. Gonzalez by Elgin officers in a short period of time."

Gonzalez's bail was set Saturday at $100,000, meaning he must post $10,000 to be released from the Kane County jail while the case is pending.

Gonzalez is next due in court on April 4 and faces a punishment ranging from probation to up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the most severe charge.

At the time of his arrest, Gonzalez was free on bond from a misdemeanor retail theft arrest in Kane County from a March 17 incident, court records show.

He also was arrested and charged in July 2018 with felony criminal damage to property.

Gonzalez was later ruled unfit for trial and remanded to the custody of the state's Department of Human Services before prosecutors dismissed the charges in January 2019, records show.