CHICAGO, IL – A rideshare driver was critically injured in an attempted carjacking on Wednesday in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, which involved the driver being shot and critically injured, according to city police.
The 51-year-old driver was finishing a ride around 10:10 p.m. on the 900 block of North LeClaire Avenue when he was approached by three unidentified males. They robbed the driver of his cellphone and ordered him to leave his vehicle. When the driver resisted, one of the attackers shot him in the chest. The driver was immediately taken to a local hospital in a critical condition.
As of yet, no arrests have been made related to this attack. This incident almost mirrors a similar carjacking attempt that happened last week, in which a Lyft driver was fatally shot in the Austin neighborhood right after dropping off passengers.
Last Tuesday, Arocha Duque, 34, who also worked as a Lyft driver, was dropping two riders off around 8:45 p.m. at Thomas Street and Cicero Avenue. Police officers who responded to the scene found a car crashed into two parked vehicles, a woman assumed to be Duque, was inside, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. She was declared dead at the scene.
Lyft released a statement reaching out to Duque’s family, expressing condolences, and offering support while their driver’s death is under investigation.
An issued community alert by the city police on Friday documented at least seven rideshare drivers robbed in December alone. In many of those incidents, the victims were struck in the head with a firearm. The police are yet to ascertain whether these incidents are interconnected.