Downers Grove Carjacking Attempt: Man Sentenced To 16 Years

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — A Chicago man was sentenced to 16 years in prison for his role in a Feb. 2020 carjacking attempt that involved a gunshot fired from a stolen car in Downers Grove.

Carlos Hendricks, 22, pleaded guilty to one felony count of attempted vehicular hijacking Monday. Co-defendant Lamourice Shepherd, 22, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty April 30 to the same charge.

In summer 2020, two juveniles were sentenced to an "indeterminate amount of time" for their involvement in the incident.

On Feb. 6, 2020, Hendricks, Shepherd and the two juveniles pulled up to a home in the 7400 block of Webster in a car that had been reported stolen out of Chicago, according to authorities. Two people got out of the stolen car and approached a car that a resident of the home was warming up, prompting two people to come out of the home and confront them.

Police say the two individuals went back to the stolen car, and a juvenile in the car pointed a gun and fired a shot toward a woman who lived in the home. The stolen car then fled the scene.

A short time later, Darien police tried to pull over the stole car near 75th and Cass and pursued the car to I-55, where Illinois State Police picked up the pursuit, following the car northbound. According to police, the car exited I-55 near Martin Luther King Drive in Chicago and crashed.

Police took Hendricks, Shepherd and both juveniles into custody and reported recovering two handguns at the scene.

“As of this morning, all those involved in the violent attempt to steal a Downers Grove resident’s car have been brought to justice,” DuPage County State's Attorney Robert said in a news release.

Berlin added, “While violent crimes such as this can leave a community feeling vulnerable, knowing that those responsible will pay for their crimes can go a long way in restoring a community’s sense of security."

Hendricks must serve 50 percent of his 16-year sentence before he becomes eligible for parole.

Related:

Shot Fired During Carjacking Attempt In Downers Grove; 4 Charged

Teens Sentenced After Gun Fired From Stolen Car In Downers Grove