Chicago is out of control…
Carjackings have become far too common of a thing in cities like Chicago, so imagine the horror of a father faced with such a situation while driving his family home. That’s exactly what happened back on August 3, which left one child in the car dead, a nightmare no parent should have to live through. We only know the details about the incident because state prosecutors disclosed them as they pursue a case against Josue Mendoza Barrera.
Another shocking car-related crime we reported on in Chicagoland can be found here.
According to a local news report, the family had just attended a White Sox home game and dropped a friend off at their vehicle in the parking lot of a Walgreens. That’s where Barrera spotted the family in the Dodge Charger as he sat in a minivan and drank alcohol purchased earlier.
For whatever reason, be it drunken boredom or a desire to steal the Mopar, Barrera followed the family and pulled up alongside the Charger when they were stopped at a red light. Staring at the family, he racked one up on a “large firearm.” Anyone with some sense would bolt in a hurry, which precisely what the dad did, reaching speeds up to 92 mph in an attempt to ditch the minivan.
While the dad was trying to ditch the potential carjacker, the 16-year-old daughter called police.
How the father wasn’t able to outrun Barrera isn’t clear, but eventually the man hit the Dodge so it spun out, hitting a parked semi-truck. Police say the man stopped for a moment to check out the wreckage, then took off without calling for help. The 16-year-old daughter suffered a “severe head injury” in the crash and was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Now here comes the shocker: this wasn’t Barrera’s first offense. He already had a warrant for a “driving offense” in 2020. When police arrested him on November 3, the BMW he was driving allegedly had the same license plates which were spotted on the minivan he was in on that fateful night back in August. That right there screams car thief, but we can’t say he stole the minivan or Bimmer for sure. However, it would bolster suspicion he was intended to carjack the Charger from the family, using deadly force if necessary. Likely, he stopped to see if the Mopar was in good enough condition to still take it after they crashed, then drove off once he realized the car was a loss. In other words, the guy is the lowest of the low.
Barrera is facing first-degree murder, leaving the scene of an accident, and speeding. The judge at least ordered him held without bail, considering he has a habit of not appearing in court. Hopefully he gets the book thrown at him, although that won’t solve the car theft and carjacking problem in Chicago or other cities across the country, and it certainly won’t bring the teenage girl back.
Source: Fox 32 Chicago
