Three charged in carjackings in Downers Grove, Warrenville
Two Chicago men are being held without bail on charges of hijacking cars at gunpoint - including one from a pregnant woman - in Downers Grove and Warrenville.
In announcing the charges Thursday, DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said Daysean Washington-Davis and Emanuel Embry, both 19, along with a 17-year-old juvenile, "terrorized" residents over two weeks in late November and December, robbing people in three separate cases.
He also was critical of the fact Washington-Davis was out on bail at the time on a charge of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon out of Cook County court.
"To me, that represents a failure of the new bail bond system Illinois has," Berlin said.
Washington-Davis faces three counts of aggravated vehicular hijacking, a felony, and one count of possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Embry is charged with two counts of aggravated vehicular hijacking.
The juvenile is charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking, unlawful use of a weapon and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. A DuPage judge has ordered he be held until at least his next court appearance on Jan. 3. Prosecutors said they intend to file a motion to transfer his case to adult court.
If convicted of the hijackings, the suspects could be sentenced to 22 to 45 years in prison, Berlin said.
Two other men have been arrested on charges of possession of a stolen motor vehicle and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. When arrested, they had two loaded shotguns in a vehicle with them, according to court documents.
Cordell Nickles and Reginald Farr, both of Chicago, were in DuPage County jail as of Thursday afternoon, with bails of $150,000.
The carjackings apparently began Nov. 30 when Downers Grove police said they responded to a call on Prairie Avenue. They said the victim was sitting in the driver's seat of her vehicle, parked in her garage, and her daughter was in the front passenger seat when a male subject, later identified as the juvenile, approached the vehicle wearing a mask.
They said he knocked on the window, displayed a handgun and told the victim "give me the car."
The woman threw her car keys to the juvenile while she and her daughter got out of the vehicle. The juvenile drove away with the vehicle, followed by another vehicle driven by Washington-Davis, police said.
Nearly two weeks later, on Dec. 13, Warrenville police responded to a call at 2:06 p.m. on County Ridge Road. The male victim said he was followed by a car occupied by the juvenile, Washington-Davis and Embry, police said.
When he arrived home, he left his vehicle and began walking toward his house when he was approached by two masked and armed men, later identified as the juvenile and Embry, police said. The men demanded the victim's car key and wallet and drove off in his vehicle, police said.
Roughly 20 minutes later, Downers Grove police responded to a carjacking on Hawkins Street. The victim, a pregnant woman, was sitting in her vehicle in her driveway when she was approached by two individuals, later identified as the juvenile and Embry, both of whom were wearing masks and armed, authorities said.
The two ordered the woman out of her vehicle and drove off in her car, authorities said. Washington-Davis drove the vehicle that brought the other two to Hawkins Street, authorities said.
A friend of the victim saw the carjacking and followed the stolen vehicle. When it stopped in traffic, the victim's friend approached and the juvenile and Embry ran away, authorities said.
When the victim's friend moved the woman's vehicle off the road, the juvenile entered the friend's car and drove away.
After an investigation by Downers Grove and Warrenville police, authorities apprehended the juvenile Dec. 13 in Downers Grove, Washington-Davis Dec. 17 at his Chicago apartment, and Embry later that day in Chicago.