Two alleged carjackers made the mistake of stealing a car at gunpoint, only to try and ransom it back to its owner a few hours later. According to the Chicago Police Department, the victim was able to hail several patrol cars as the exchange went down, leading to their arrest. The two men have been identified as 38-year-old William Tanksley and 35-year-old Trevail Tyree.
Carjackers arrested by Chicago police officers
The 23-year-old male victim and his brother were in the car at around 3 p.m. on June 28 in the 900 block of N. Central Park Ave when they were approached by the robbers, as reported by CWB Chicago and a charge release from the Chicago Police Department.
According to a detention petition, Tyree had approached with a firearm along the driver’s side while Tanksley attempted to drag the victim’s brother by the arm out of the car. When they resisted, Tyree fired a bullet at the car’s dashboard, leading the victim and his brother to escape, while Tyree and Tanksley stole the vehicle and fled the scene. A police surveillance camera was reportedly able to record a portion of the incident.
That’s when the story takes a strange turn. Police say that three hours later the robbers used one of the brother’s stolen cellphone to call the victim, saying that they would sell the car back for cash. They decided to meet in the exact same spot that the original carjacking occurred…