Chicago Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Armed Carjackings
A judge in Chicago has sentenced 27-year-old Taj Newson to 15 years in prison for committing three armed carjackings while on parole for two stolen motor vehicle cases. Newson pleaded guilty to the charges before Judge Steven Watkins.
Newson, who has a history of possessing stolen vehicles, was on parole for two previous cases when he arranged to inspect a car for sale with the intention of carjacking it during a test drive.
Prosecutors stated that on November 16, 2023, Newson took a 2004 Chevy on a test drive and forced the owner out of the vehicle in the 4200 block of North Pulaski, telling them, “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
The Chicago Police Department’s hijacking task force located the stolen Chevy using the city’s license plate reader network a few hours later. Newson was apprehended in the 3600 block of West Roosevelt, where he claimed he was testing the car for a client.
In addition to the November incident, Newson also pleaded guilty to carjacking another driver on October 9, 2023, in the 3000 block of West 52nd Street, as well as hijacking a vehicle in a bank parking lot on November 7, 2023, in the 5400 block of West Belmont.
Judge Watkins handed down a 15-year sentence for each case, to be served concurrently. Newson may be eligible for parole after serving half of his sentence with good behavior.
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