Feds Indict Lake County Man Over North Shore Carjacking Attempt

CHICAGO — Federal prosecutors charged a Lake County man over a carjacking attempt last summer at a Glencoe golf course.

Zayveon Thomas, 19, of Beach Park, has been awaiting trial on state charges at Cook County Jail since shortly after his July 2 arrest in the Cook County Forest Preserve District property near the Glencoe Golf Club.

That morning, Thomas and two other unidentified men parked a stolen car near the club and walked up to a senior citizen as she unloaded golfing gear from her car, police and prosecutors said at the time.

One of them brandished a gun, and Thomas got into the driver's seat. When the woman began to scream, he pushed her to the ground, injuring her, authorities said.

But she still had the key fob in her pocket, and her attackers were unable to start her car.

The trio of would-be carjackers took off running, but hearing the commotion, two witnesses began chasing them into forest preserve, according to prosecutors.

Thomas was arrested and the two others initially escaped. No information about the status of the search for the two other men was immediately available from Glencoe police Tuesday.

An indictment filed Monday by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago alleges Thomas "with intent to cause death and serious bodily harm, attempted to take a motor vehicle, namely a 2018 Lexus IS300, that had been transported, shipped, and received in interstate commerce from the person and presence of Victim A by force, violence, and intimidation."

The federal charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

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At the time of his arrest, prosecutors told the judge that Thomas was also wanted in connection with an armed robbery in Lake County.

Following his arrest in Glencoe, Lake County prosecutors charged him with vehicular hijacking in connection with a June 30 incident in Waukegan, according to court records.

Thomas is being held at Cook County Jail in lieu of a $5,000 cash portion of his bond, according to the Cook County Sheriff's Office. He is scheduled for a court appearance on the Cook County charges Friday.

As of Tuesday, those charges remained pending, and no arraignment had yet been scheduled on the new federal charge.