July 30--Three men and a teenage boy have been charged after authorities said they fired shots from a minivan and led police on an 8-mile chase that ended in a crash in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood.
Charged were Carl Jenkins, 26, of Chicago Heights; Jodie Christian, 22, of the 2000 block of West 70th Street in Chicago; and Traveon Elbert, 26, of Dolton. A 17-year-old also was charged, but police are not releasing his identity because he is underage.
Monday night on the West Side, the four allegedly approached a 28-year-old man in the 3200 block of West Carroll Avenue, produced a handgun and announced a robbery, according to a news release from Chicago police. That same evening about 10:30, officers responding to calls of shots fired saw a minivan driving erratically nearby, police said.
The minivan led police on a chase down Western Avenue that went on for nearly 8 miles, finally ending with a crash at 59th Street on the Southwest Side that injured five people.
Jenkins and Christian have been charged with attempted robbery, aggravated assault and aggravated attempted vehicular hijacking. Elbert also faces those charges, as well as charges of possession of a controlled substance, aggravated DUI and aggravated fleeing. The 17-year-old has been charged with attempted robbery and aggravated assault.
They are expected to appear in court Thursday.
