Man gets 8 years for carjacking driver while armed with Swiss Army knife
Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison for Armed Carjacking
In a shocking incident, Kendall Johnson, armed with a Swiss Army knife attached to a stick, carjacked a driver and has now been sentenced to eight years in prison. This incident occurred just four days after Johnson was released by a judge to await trial on a misdemeanor criminal damage charge.
The carjacking took place in a strip mall parking lot in the 6800 block of South Stony Island Avenue. The 51-year-old Johnson approached a 40-year-old man’s vehicle while he was waiting for his wife to come out of a store. Johnson tapped on the driver’s window with a “rifle-shaped object” covered by a black plastic bag, prosecutors revealed.
During the carjacking, Johnson pointed the weapon, which was later discovered to be a stick with a Swiss Army knife attached to it, at the victim’s head and demanded money. A struggle ensued when the victim pushed the homemade weapon away from his head. Johnson then grabbed the victim’s fanny pack, causing it to break and leading to Johnson falling to the ground.
Seizing the opportunity, the victim crawled out through the passenger-side door and sought refuge in a nearby laundromat. Johnson pursued him into the laundromat and then chased him a second time before driving away in the victim’s 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe.
Fortunately, Chicago police officers were able to locate the stolen vehicle using the city’s license plate reader network. Johnson was apprehended after the victim identified him as the assailant and he pulled over when officers activated their emergency lights.
Following his guilty plea to aggravated vehicular hijacking with a weapon, Johnson was sentenced to eight years in prison by Judge James Novy. The sentence will be reduced by the 830 days Johnson spent in custody and additional credit earned while in jail. With the standard 50% sentence reduction, Johnson is currently set for release on August 6.
