CHICAGO, IL – An alleged attempted carjacker learned he picked the wrong vehicle to steal after the driver of the vehicle took the gun from the suspect and beat him with it. The victim in the case held onto the suspect until police arrived at the scene and took him into custody.
When a violent criminal preys on a person they are used to getting almost immediate compliance as rarely do the victims fight back. While that is normally the case, after all, that is what any sane police agency will recommend, that was not the case when a criminal attempted to carjack a couple in the area of 56th Street and Kolin Avenue, near the Midway Airport.
A man and a woman had parked their car near that intersection when a man wearing a ski mask walked up to the front passenger door. The suspect, later identified as Richard Rubio, allegedly produced a handgun and pointed it at the couple, demanding the woman get out of the car.
The woman complied and Rubio allegedly walked around to the driver’s side door and ordered the man out of the car. Rubio allegedly ordered the man to give him his wallet while pointing the gun at him but was upset with the man told Rubio that he did not carry one.
The man then asked Rubio if he could at least get his phone out of the vehicle before he drove away with it, a request which was immediately denied. Rubio allegedly told the man that he would be taking his phone with him…which apparently was the wrong response.
Rubio, unsuspecting that anyone would fight back, after all, he was the one with a gun, was shocked as he tried to enter the couple’s car when the man saw an opportunity and jumped the suspect. The two fell to the ground as the man worked to get the gun free from Rubio’s grasp.
As the two fought over the gun, the man was able to place Rubio in a chokehold and began punching him repeatedly until he was able to get the gun free from his grasp. The man, who was clearly amped up during the incident, allegedly began to pistol whip Rubio while his female companion called 911 for police response.
The man held onto Rubio while officers from the Chicago Police Department responded. As soon as officers arrived on the scene, the man, who was not identified, released his grasp on Rubio who was taken into custody by officers.
After Rubio was taken into custody, police searched the area for the gun and located what they described as a .9mm ghost gun, meaning it has no serial number for tracking purposes. The weapon had no ammunition, and officers could not locate any magazine for it in the area.
Police did not release if the man or woman received any injuries during the attack. It was also not reported if Rubio sustained any injuries or received any medical treatment as a result of the attempted carjacking.
Officers charged Rubio with attempted aggravated vehicular hijacking with a gun and attempted armed robbery. At Rubio’s first appearance, his attorney attempted to paint him as a hardworking man who was only trying to obtain a truck driving license to get a sustainable source of income, something the Cook County Judge did not seem to buy.
Cook County Judge Mary Marubio ordered Rubio to be held on a $10,000 bond. If he were able to post bond, Judge Marubio is requiring Rubio to be fitted with an electronic monitoring device.
