Name: ‘My son’s in the vehicle!’ mom screamed before son, 8, leapt from moving SUV carjacked in Avondale, prosecutors say as charges announced against suspect
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‘My son’s in the vehicle!’ mom screamed before son, 8, leapt from moving SUV carjacked in Avondale, prosecutors say as charges announced against suspect

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AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneFeb 27, 2021 at 3:20 pmA judge on Saturday set bail at $1 million for a woman accused of two carjackings on the Northwest Side, one in which an 8-year-old boy escaped by jumping from a moving SUV after his mom was run over by its back tire.The SUV later was involved in an Avondale neighborhood hit-and-run car crash that . The carjacking suspect, Veronica Harden, was not charged in connection with the crash involving the bicyclist, officials said.AdvertisementHarden, 36, was hospitalized and did not physically appear before Cook County Judge Susana Ortiz during her Saturday afternoon bond court hearing that was audio streamed live on YouTube.Harden was charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking of a passenger under age 16, aggravated vehicular hijacking of a person older than 60, aggravated battery of a victim older than 60, aggravated battery, and aggravated kidnapping of a person younger than age 13, police said.AdvertisementProsecutors said Harden was arrested Thursday when police spotted her driving a vehicle she had allegedly stolen from a 64-year-old woman in a Walgreens parking lot on Wednesday.On Feb. 6, in an Aldi grocery parking lot in the 3300 block of North Belmont Avenue in the Avondale neighborhood, Harden allegedly jumped into the driver’s seat of a Buick SUV with the 8-year-old boy in the back seat.His mother was nearby, returning her boy’s friend to his family. As Harden began driving away, the mother noticed it reversing and “ran towards the vehicle,” prosecutors said.She grabbed the SUV’s handle while “screaming her son was in the vehicle,” according to prosecutors.After the SUV moved 20 feet, the woman was run over by its back tire, but she continued to chase it as it traveled down Belmont. When it turned a corner, she spotted her 8-year-old son opening the back door. She yelled at him to jump out and he did, prosecutors said.The child suffered soreness and bruises, and his mom was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center after suffering a punctured lung, a broken foot and broken ribs.On Wednesday, Harden was captured in video surveillance at a Walgreens parking lot confronting a 64-year-old woman, who was returning to her vehicle after shopping in the 4300 block of North Kedzie Avenue in the Albany Park neighborhood.Harden demanded the car, and when the woman refused, she opened the door, grabbed her by her clothing, and threw her out of the car and sped away, prosecutors said.AdvertisementBefore Harden’s arrest, she had allegedly tried to use the mother’s credit card at a Target store, and other items belonging to her were discovered in her possession, inside one of the carjacked cars, which police found near where Harden lives, prosecutors said.Inside the vehicle, police found the mother’s house keys, a child’s yellow water bottle with colored stars on it, an engraved necklace and other items including Harden’s cellphone bill.Additionally, witnesses identified Harden as being allegedly involved in both carjackings, according to prosecutors.Though Harden’s public defender reserved giving any mitigation until the next court date because Harden was not present, Ortiz set bail at $1 million for Harden, citing that a child had to jump out of a car, injuries the victims’ suffered and her “significant” criminal history.Early on in the bond hearing, a Chicago police officer testified that Harden was hospitalized at Swedish Covenant Hospital, suffering from sepsis, open sores on her legs and collapsed veins.According to prosecutors, Harden has six prior felony convictions, including an escape charge from 2014, retail theft from 2014, two forgery cases from 2007 and a 2004 aggravated battery of a government employee case.AdvertisementOn Feb. 10, police said the same Buick SUV involved in the Feb. 6 carjacking in the Aldi parking lot was northbound in the 3500 block of North Kimball Avenue about 2:20 p.m. in Avondale when a collision happened.As the Buick approached Addison Street, it was in the left lane of traffic and made a right turn onto Addison, heading east, police say.A cyclist, , also was traveling north on Kimball to the right of the Buick. Betzel was struck by the vehicle as it turned right from the left of two lanes, sideswiping her and running her over, according to a police report.Two tires rolled over her chest and face, leaving her with bruised lungs, a broken orbital bone and a damaged rib cage that required more than five hours of surgery, Betzel’s family earlier said.Betzel was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in critical condition, where she remained as of last week in the ICU on a ventilator. She was wearing a helmet and does not appear to have suffered any long-term brain or skull damage, the family said earlier.The Buick did not stop and fled east on Addison, witnesses told police, where the driver ran a red light at Elston Avenue and a camera snapped a photo of the license plate. The driver remained at large, police said.Advertisement“She’s a very caring, loving child. Who’s not such a child anymore, a woman, I should say,” said her father, Shaun Betzel, said in with the Chicago Tribune.“She advocates for people on bikes. She advocates for all sorts of people.” Advertisement

AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneFeb 27, 2021 at 3:20 pmA judge on Saturday set bail at $1 million for a woman accused of two carjackings on the Northwest Side, one in which an 8-year-old boy escaped by jumping from a moving SUV after his mom was run over by its back tire.The SUV later was involved in an Avondale neighborhood hit-and-run car crash that . The carjacking suspect, Veronica Harden, was not charged in connection with the crash involving the bicyclist, officials said.AdvertisementHarden, 36, was hospitalized and did not physically appear before Cook County Judge Susana Ortiz during...

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The Chicago Tribune is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television are named), it remains the most-read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region. It had the 6th highest circulation for American newspapers in 2017.

‘My son’s in the vehicle!’ mom screamed before son, 8, leapt from moving SUV carjacked in Avondale, prosecutors say as charges announced against suspect

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