Foot Chase With Carjacker Ends In OL Children's Museum Lot: OLPD

OAK LAWN, IL — A foot chase with a would-be carjacker ended with his capture in the parking lot of the Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn, where he tried to carjack the vehicle of a father and his young son, Oak Lawn police said.

The incident unfolded around 9:45 a.m. Sunday, when Evergreen Park police broadcasted over the radio that they received a Flock plate reader hit on a stolen Audi that had just entered Oak Lawn.

An Oak Lawn police officer spotted the Audi stopped by a train in the 4900 block of 95th Street, heading westbound. The Oak Lawn officer exited his police vehicle and approached the stolen vehicle on foot, as an Evergreen Park officer activated his lights and pulled up behind the stolen vehicle.

The driver, later identified as 22-year-old Jeremiah Space, a convicted felon and recent parolee from Chicago, accelerated the Audi, ramming into another car stopped in traffic, police said. When the stolen vehicle got stuck on the curb, police said Space and an unknown passenger got out and fled in opposite directions.

An Oak Lawn police officer pursued the unknown passenger, who tossed a gun equipped with an extended clip while he was being pursued. Police said the passenger was able to run to a stolen Range Rover that was waiting in the eastbound lanes of 95th Street. He was able to escape, but the gun was recovered.

Meanwhile, an Evergreen Park police officer gave chase to Space, who is alleged to have tried to carjack two other vehicles in a desperate attempt to escape. One of the vehicle owners told police that Space pointed a gun and threatened to shoot them.

The Evergreen Park cop pursued Space on foot into the Oak Lawn children’s museum parking lot, where police said Space again tried to hijack the vehicle of a man and his young son, who were getting out of their car. The Evergreen Park officer was able to apprehend him, police said.

The children’s museum director, Adam Woodworth, told Patch that the man was apprehended about ten minutes before the museum opened at 10 a.m. Sunday, but “people like to come early.”

“The scene was secure by the time we opened,” Woodworth said. “My manager did walk out and talked to an officer, who said everything was secure.”

Children’s museum staff members were greeting patrons at the front entrance and making sure that everything was okay.

“It’s unusual for something like this to happen because it's such a safe, quiet area,” Woodworth added.

Officers conducted an extensive ground search for Space’s gun, police said. An Oak Lawn police drone was able to locate the gun and on a rooftop and recovered. The handgun had an extended clip ans had been modified to be fired automatically.

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved two felony charges of attempted aggravated vehicular hijacking (firearm and victim over 60) and one class X felony charge of unlawful possession of a machine gun by a felon.

Space was released on parole in November 2024 from the Illinois Department of Corrections, where he had been serving ten years for a 2019 armed robbery and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, according to IDOC records.

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved two felony charges of attempted aggravated vehicular hijacking (firearm and victim over 60) and one class X felony charge of unlawful possession of a machine gun by a felon.

Space was transferred Monday afternoon to the Bridgeview Courthouse for a pretrial hearing

This is an active investigation, anyone who has video or has any other information please contact the Oak Lawn Police Detective Division at 708-907-4051 or text tips and video to 708-613-TIPS (8477).