Accused Thieves Catch a Cab After Jumping from Stolen Car

Riverside, IL - Two men who leapt from a stolen car during a police chase in Riverside were arrested after police traced a phone call they made to a cab company after they fled on foot.

Amir J. Johnson, 19 of the 1700 block of W. Cermak Road in Broadview, and Darien L. Jones, 18 of the 1900 block of S. 18th Avenue in Maywood, were each charged with felony auto theft, according to Riverside police.

The car was stolen around 10 p.m. March 15 from a gas station in the 7100 block of West Roosevelt Road in Oak Park, when the owner left the car running at the pump while he went into the station to buy food.

A man followed the car's owner into the station and distracted him while another man stole the car, drove about 50 feet away and waited for his friend to run to the car. The pair, identified as Johnson and Jones, fled southbound on Harlem from Roosevelt Road, police reported. Video surveillance from the store captured the theft in action.

When a Riverside officer spotted a car driving recklessly at 12:57 a.m. March 16 on Ogden Avenue and Lionel Road, he checked the license plate and found the car had been reported stolen hours earlier from Oak Park.

The driver didn't stop when the officer turned on his lights and siren, and he led a chase to Lawndale and then east of 45th Street in Lyons. Johnson and Jones jumped from the car and ran while it was still moving on 45th Street, police reported.

The car rolled back and hit the Riverside squad car, causing minor damage to both cars. Police searched for the men with a Forest Park canine, with no luck.

As the investigation continued over the next several days, police discovered that at about 2 a.m. March 16, a local cab company got a call requesting two people be taken from Lyons to Maywood.

The call led police to Johnson and Jones, who were arrested March 22, police reported.

Jones had one prior arrest for a traffic offense. Johnson was out on bond on a felony burglary charge from a 2015 case still pending in the Cook County court system. Riverside police asked the State Attorney's Office to issue a bond revocation as a result of the new felony charge.

Photos courtesy of Riverside police. Left: Amir J. Johnson. Right: Darien L. Jones.