Woman Accused of Attempting Multiple Carjackings

Police say a North Chicago woman crashed her vehicle into several cars and a guardrail in Gurnee Thursday, then commandeered a Wheeling woman’s car by pushing her out near Park City and drove that car home before going to a hospital in Waukegan.

Tiffany Thomas, 33, of the 2100 block of Dickey Ave. in North Chicago, also is accused of stopping vehicles on Route 41’s southbound ramp at Washington Street late Thursday afternoon in an attempt to carjack two vehicles. According to police, she went from one car to another, before hopping into the third car on the ramp, which was driven by a Wheeling woman.

The woman was pushed out of her blue 2009 Toyota at Route 41 and Route 120 and sustained some injuries, police said, as did another driver Thomas allegedly targeted, the <i>Lake County News-Sun</i> is reporting.

Thomas is charged with two counts of attempted vehicular hijacking, unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle, two counts of aggravated battery, felony theft, reckless driving, six counts of leaving the scene of an accident, driving on a suspended driver’s license and no proof of insurance.

She was ordered held on $100,000 bond at a hearing Friday.

“It started at 2:45 p.m. when we received a call of a hit and run at Grand Avenue and Juniper Street near Six Flags Great America,” Gurnee Cmdr. William Meyer said.

The hit and run complaints continued to come in one after another, he added.

“Over the next couple of minutes there were five additional hit and runs reported in the general vicinity,” said Meyer, adding that police don’t know what prompted the series of alleged crimes.

Police were looking for a gold GMC SUV involved in all of the cases. It was found crashed into a guardrail under the overpass of Washington Street on Route 41.

“When officers arrived the driver’s door was open and the radio was blaring full blast,” Meyer said.

Witnesses approached officers to relay what they saw: a woman who jumped into the roadway on the southbound ramp of Route 41 in attempt to stop passing cars, police said. She attempted to get the first driver out by opening the door and scratching her, but was unsuccessful, according to police. She also was unsuccessful trying to pull a man out of the next vehicle, police said.

“She had jumped in front of them to get them to stop,” Meyer said.

To gain control of the third vehicle, police said Thomas jumped into the passenger seat and ordered the driver to take off onto southbound Route 41. A short time later, Park City police notified Gurnee officers that they had a Wheeling woman who was pushed out of her vehicle at Routes 41 and 120.

“There were no life threatening injuries,” Meyer said.

By this time, the GMC was found to be registered to Thomas, police said. North Chicago officers went to her residence and found the Wheeling woman’s Toyota parked outside, police said. Police eventually tracked Thomas to the Vista West Medical Center in Waukegan, where she was arrested.

“The motive is still unclear,” Meyer said.

Copyright CHIST - SunTimes
Contact Us