Cab Hijacked Near Wrigley Field
Police charge 24-year-old James Burns III with felony vehicular hijacking.
By: Jonathan Bullington
A routine fare turned nasty in the early morning hours of Saturday, Feb. 28, when Chicago police say a fight between a cabdriver and his intoxicated passenger ended in the driver's taxi being hijacked.
According to police, 24-year-old James Burns III flagged down a taxi on the corner of Addison and Clark Street and told the driver to “just drive.” After the driver told Burns he needed an address before he could leave, police say the two men began arguing.
At one point, police say the driver asked Burns to exit his cab but Burns refused, causing the driver to exit the cab and open the back door. Police say Burns jumped out of the cab and started fighting with the cabdriver. When the cabdriver fled, police say Burns briefly gave chase before returning to the taxi to drive off in it.
According to police, another cabdriver witnessed the incident and found a nearby police officer, who apprehended Burns at the 3500 block of N. Clark St.
Police say no injuries were reported. Burns is scheduled to appear at Cook County Circuit Court Branch 42 on March 9, where he faces a felony charge of vehicular hijacking.
