Skokie Carjacking Began As A Drug Transaction, Police Say

Update:
Skokie police have revised the address for one of the arrestees. Officer Tammy Jacobsen of the police department said Dominic Cavallari resides in the 8800 block of Lavergne Avenue, Skokie.

Original story:

Skokie police have released the following statement describing Wednesday's carjacking. 

On Wednesday, October 16, 2013, at 2:20 p.m., Skokie police officers responded to a 911 call for a report of a carjacking which occurred at the north CTA Swift lot, on the 8900 block of Gross Point Rd., Skokie, IL.  The incident stemmed from a drug transaction between the two victims and five suspects.  During the incident, two suspects entered the victims’ vehicle to complete the transaction when one of the suspects pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and informed both victims that they were being robbed.  Three other suspects then approached the vehicle and pulled the victims out of the vehicle.  All five of the suspects fled the scene with the victims’ cell phones and the vehicle.

An Illinois State Police Emergency Radio Network (ISPERN) alert was sent out to all communities.  This resulted in an Illinois State Police Sergeant stopping the victim’s vehicle and apprehending four of the wanted suspects.  Recovered from the vehicle were the victims’ cell phones and a loaded semi-automatic handgun.  The remaining suspect was quickly located and arrested by Skokie Police Officers.   

All of the suspects are scheduled to appear at the Second District Courthouse, Skokie, IL.  Date, time, and bond amount are to be determined.

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The suspects are identified as:

Mikaela Benit, 17 years of age, 600 block of S. Tripp Ave., Chicago, IL.  Benit has been charged with two counts of Vehicular Hijacking and two counts of Armed Robbery. 

Dominic Cavallari, 18 years of age, 8800 block of Lavergne Ave., Skokie, IL. Cavallari has been charged with two counts of Vehicular Hijacking and two counts of Armed Robbery. 

Rakeem Parker, 18 years of age, 11400 block of S. Hale Ave., Chicago, IL.  Parker has been charged with two counts of Vehicular Hijacking and two counts of Armed Robbery.

Michael Sanders, 32 years of age, 14100 block of S. School St., Riverdale, IL.  Sanders has been charged with two counts of Vehicular Hijacking and two counts of Armed Robbery.

Cordarryl Stevenson, 24 years of age, 5623 S. Seeley Ave., Chiago, IL.  Stevenson has been charged with two counts of Vehicular Hijacking and two counts of Armed Robbery.

The public is reminded that neither a complaint nor an indictment is evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.