6 days ago
18-year-old arrested for attempted car theft of priest outside Near North Side church: police
The Brief
A Near North Side priest was the victim of an attempted armed car theft while his car was parked outside his church on May 21, police say.
Raleigh Ford, 18, was identified as the alleged suspect in the incident.
The investigation is ongoing; no charges have been filed.
CHICAGO - An 18-year-old is in custody after allegedly attempting to steal a priest's car while it was parked outside a Near North Side church on May 21, police said.
What we know
The victim, a Catholic priest, stopped to check the mail at Holy Name Cathedral Parrish before joining some of the nuns for a lunch reservation at around 11:25 a.m. The victim parked his 2015 Toyota Rav4 on the street, unlocked with the keys in the ignition and the vehicle running.
When returning to his vehicle, the victim allegedly saw Raleigh Ford checking to see if the car was unlocked. When the victim called out to Ford, Ford entered the driver's side of the car. The victim quickly ran to the car and entered the car on the passenger's side. The two got into a physical altercation, with Ford trying to push the victim out of the car while the victim was able to dislodge the keys from the vehicle's ignition. Ford then fled on foot in an unknown direction.
No injuries were reported.
The incident was recorded on the Parrish CCTV.
Ford was arrested for a similar crime on May 26 by Chicago Police and positively identified as the suspect by the victim.
What's next
The investigation is ongoing and charges are still pending at this time.
The Source
Details of this case were provided by the Chicago Police Department and court documents.
