DeKalb man charged in attempted vehicle hijacking

SYCAMORE - A DeKalb man is facing charges after police say he attempted to hijack a 2015 white Jeep in front of a shopping center on Sycamore Road and then wrestled with the Jeep’s owner until police arrived.

Carl Jones, 27, of the 900 block of Ridge Drive, is charged with attempted vehicular hijacking, a Class 2 felony, aggravated battery and resisting a police officer. If convicted of the most serious crime, the hijacking, he could face up to seven years in jail and fines up to $25,000.

During a virtual bond hearing Monday at the DeKalb County Courthouse, DeKalb County Circuit Court Judge Phillip Montgomery issued Jones a $5,000 recognizance bond, and said his ruling was in part because Jones has no reported criminal history. Jones’ next court date is set for May 13 at 8:45 a.m. via Zoom.

According to DeKalb County court records, DeKalb police responded to reports of a robbery in the 2400 block of Sycamore Road shortly before 11 a.m. Saturday. When they arrived, police allegedly saw two men wrestling with each other in an open grassy field next in the parking lot of shopping center near Payless Shoe Source and Little Caesars.

A witness told police the suspect was the man on the ground wearing a black coat, later identified as Jones. According to police reports, a patrol officer allegedly told Jones to place his hands behind his back and he refused. Police reported that Jones “tensed up his arms, pilled away from officers’ grasp, and tried to stand up. Jones was taken to the ground,” the report reads.

Additional officers arrived on the scene and Jones was placed in handcuffs, reports allege.

The victim, who owns the Jeep, told investigators he’d parked his car in the 2400 block of Sycamore Road and walked away from it, then looked back and saw Jones driving the car, though he didn’t know the man and hadn’t given Jones permission to enter his Jeep, reports state.

The victim allegedly told police he then returned to his Jeep and opened the driver side door, trying to pull Jones out of the vehicle, and placed it into park. The victim then told police Jones put his foot on the accelerator and attempted to leave the parking lot, and Jones allegedly punched the victim in his face.

After the punch, the victim told police he pulled Jones out of his car, caught up with him as he attempted to flee and “tried to take Jones into custody,” reports state, but was punched in the face again. The two men then began to fight on the ground in the 2300 block of Sycamore Road when police arrived.

Police reports state officers reviewed video surveillance camera footage from the area which showed the victim attempt to pull Jones out of his Jeep while the engine revved.