Police have scheduled a community meeting about the carjackings Wednesday night in the Ukrainian Village, Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods.
Three neighborhoods that have seen a number of carjackings over the past several months. Since Sunday, police say at least four victims have been held up at gunpoint and their cars were stolen. The latest happening Wednesday morning on North Wolcott.
One of the attendees of Wednesday night's meeting told NBC 5 about a harrowing gunpoint robbery.
He and his wife were getting a post-dinner bottle of wine on Chicago Avenue.
"I believe that God was on my side," Rex Archambault said. "Your instinct is to remain calm."
He said his wife went into the store and while he waited outside someone put a gun to his head.
"All of a sudden his two buddies look towards me an start walking towards the car, so I looked to make sure that the car was locked, by that time he was already around there, put a gun to my head and said some racial things," he recalled. "Said, 'I'll blow your brains out, if you don't get out of your car and give me your car.'"
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Archambault says police told him they recovered his banged-up BMW and arrested the man who put a gun to his head.
He said they the group that robbed him looked so young he doubted they even knew how to use the gun they had.
Other residents say they've had enough.
"I'm planning on buying a gun soon," said Petro Partyka.
"I have a camera in my car," said neighborhood driver Victor Partyka.
A surveillance camera caught a group of suspects targeting a Bucktown man about a month ago.
Incident reports are flooding Ald. Scott Wauguespack's office.
"They're able to get back on the highway very quickly in most cases either going down western or 90/94 to the Kennedy and making a quick escape," Wauguespack said. "The alderman says the solution is to have more police on the streets."
If targeted, police say to remain calm and never fight back. Instead pay attention to the suspect to get a good description that you can give to officers.
Advice that building manager Teri Nordstedt wishes her tenants didn't have to face.
Now everyone is going 'oh my gosh, Ukrainian Village, you can't live there. It's not safe,'" she said. "But the reality is, it is a very safe neighborhood. Obviously it's been targeted recently."
