According to the Chicago Police Department, a car owner in the city opened fire on a 13-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy who were in the process of stealing his car in a tragic Tuesday, May 7th incident in the blood-drenched Windy City. The teenage girl was taken to the hospital after the incident to be treated for a gunshot wound to the right side of her body.
Such is what ABC 7 reported, saying that a woman opened fire on the 13-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy when the two tried to take her SUV, fighting them off and sending the teen girl to the hospital in the process.
Speaking to CBS News, the sister of the SUV owner who fired on the teen car thieves said that her sister had had her vehicle broken into multiple times and that she was upset that the teens were roaming free and able to try to steal her car, rather than being in school where they belong. Further, she said that her sister is s single mother who is legally licensed to have her firearm, possessing a Firearms Owners Identification (FOID) card.
That sister of the owner, Michelle Tharpe, told CBS News, “I’m just mad my sister is in this type of situation.” Continuing, she explained that her sister had, on the day of the fateful incident, “caught two young kids stealing her car, breaking in her car.” She added, explaining the scene her sister came across, “They busted out a window.”
Continuing, Tharpe told CBS News that the teens ought to be in school, not out on the street trying to steal cars. She said, “They need to be in school. They should have been in school.” Further, returning to speaking about her sister, she said that her sister lives in fear now that her car has been broken into multiple times, saying, “She’s a scared mom whose car constantly getting broke in.”
CBS News also reported that both teens have been charged by the police over the attempted auto theft. It reported, “Two teens are facing felony charges after police said a woman shot one of them while they were trying to steal her car Tuesday morning in the South Chicago neighborhood.”
The SUV that the thieves attempted to steal in this case was a Kia. Chicago sued Kia in the summer of 2023, alleging that the cars were too easy to steal. In a statement, Mayor Brandon Johnson said, “The failure of Kia and Hyundai to install basic anti-theft prevention technology in these models is sheer negligence, and as a result, a citywide and nationwide crime spree around automobile theft has been unfolding right before our eyes.”
A spokesperson for Kia said, at the time, “Kia has been and continues to be willing to work cooperatively with law enforcement agencies in Chicago to combat car theft and the role social media has played in encouraging it, and we remain committed to supporting our customers and to vehicle security.” Kia and Hyundai recently settled a class-action suit over the alleged defect.
"*" indicates required fields