Police: Chicago Parolee Carjacks Vehicle with Baby Inside, Crashes into Other Cars

A Chicago man on parole is accused of carjacking a vehicle with a baby inside and then crashing into several other cars before taking off on foot.

According to the Chicago Police Department (CPD), Pherris Harrington, 26, allegedly stole a Honda CR-V, that’s engine was running, while the mother and father of the baby boy were picking up a to-go order at a bakery on the 1500 block of North Clark Street in the Ravenswood area, at around 11:00 a.m. on Sunday.

As Harrington was about to drive away, the boy’s father, 41, jumped on top of the car hood while the mother, 37, grabbed the vehicle’s door. Both pleaded for the 26-year-old suspect to stop, saying, “There’s a baby inside the car,” but Harrington ignored them, police say via Fox 32.

The father eventually fell off the hood, and the mother let go after being dragged.

As he fled, Harrington allegedly crashed into an unmarked police vehicle and multiple other cars without stopping.

He then exited the vehicle and started running toward the exit ramp from Lower Wacker Drive to Upper Wacker Drive but was arrested shortly after being pursued. While being apprehended, live rounds fell out of his pocket, according to CPD.

Harrington required medical attention for breathing issues, but while being placed in an ambulance, he allegedly kicked a police officer in the shin and later spat on an EMT twice as he was being transported to the hospital.

Officers discovered the baby lying on the car floor and noticed the car seat was knocked out of place, CBS News reported. Thankfully, the baby was not injured, but the mother and father suffered minor injuries.

Harrington, of South Chicago, was on parole after serving eight of 17 years for a 2014 armed robbery case, CWB Chicago reported. He was released early on December 23.

“Harrington was adjudicated delinquent as a juvenile in 2013 for burglary, multiple gun violations, and a robbery charge that began as a vehicular hijacking,” the outlet added.

He also was recently arrested and charged with armed robbery in Connecticut on October 26.

For Sunday’s offense, Harrington has been charged with “aggravated vehicular hijacking, aggravated kidnapping of a child younger than 13, and several misdemeanors, including possession of ammunition, resisting police, battery, and leaving the scene of an accident,” per CWB Chicago

The 26-year-old was denied bail by the judge on Tuesday and is scheduled to appear in court again on November 23.

Democrat-controlled Chicago is currently under a crime wave, and crime complaints have risen by 40 percent since last year, according to CPD crime statistics. Carjacking has skyrocketed by 92 percent, while theft has increased by 59 percent.

You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.