Car Stolen From Homewood Parking Lot While Owner Filled Up Tires

HOMEWOOD, IL — A woman who had her car forcibly stolen from her at a Homewood parking lot last week is sharing tips to help other residents, especially women, avoid being victims themselves.

Michelle Apeanyo told Homewood police she was filling up her car's tires with air at the Walmart at 17550 South Halsted Street when a person got inside her car and drove away. Apeanyo lost her purse and phone in the process.

Police later found her car in a tow lot Monday. According to the Park Forest resident, the car's plates were changed and the windows were riddled with holes.

Apeanyo told NBC5 in an interview Wednesday that she gave police information on where her credit cards were being fraudulently used after the theft but said authorities didn't do much with the information.

As of Thursday afternoon, Homewood police told Patch they had not made any arrests in the case and were categorizing the incident as a car theft as opposed to a carjacking because Apeanyo was not technically inside the vehicle at the time it was stolen.

"This one time I wasn't aware of my surroundings because I was in a rush and this happened," Apeanyo told NBC5. "So keep being aware of what's around you."