I have no respect for car thieves. Cars are pretty darn expensive, and when someone steals your car, they affect your livelihood. I know a lot of people like to profess that because a car is insured, that is some magic answer. But as we all know, the moment you drive the car off the lot, it depreciates. Dealing with an insurance company regarding the claim, repair rental, and reimbursement for personal effects that were in the car, can be aggravating and tiresome. The situation becomes even more exasperating because it was some lowlife who decided to steal your car that caused it.
There was an incident recently where a 16-year-old boy is alleged to have tried to steal a Corvette from a car wash. The owner happened to be a Cook County Sheriff’s deputy. The deputy fired at his car, wounding the boy with two bullets. News reports indicates that the young boy already has a criminal history, including spending time in a juvenile detention center. Appearing in court before the same judge who had given him a light sentence once before, the boy said, “I got two bullets in me. The bullets in my body, they could move around where they could hurt me, where I could die.”
Although the boy was kept in juvenile detention, perhaps those two bullets will finally teach him the lesson he needs to learn.
Then we have the case of Sircie Varnado, the 46-year-old woman who was in Walgreens near Fullerton and Cicero avenues. Her shooting was one of the few times I’ve ever seen so much vital information leaked so slowly. Initial news reports were simply that a woman had been shot at the store. Later on, the woman was now an alleged shoplifter. Then the news report told us the night manager, who had confronted her for stealing, rather than call the police, had called a friend. That friend turned out to be a former security guard who has a FOID card and a concealed carry license. After shooting the woman, the man picked up the shell casing and left the scene. Again, with each additional day of reporting, we learn the finer details. The shooter turns out to be black and is negotiating with police through his attorney! When he finally turned himself in, we learned that the shooter is Louis Hicks, 33, and that after arguing and tussling with Vernado, he had her on the ground with the gun pointed to her head. She is alleged to have called him something derogatory, at which point he fired his weapon directly in her face in response.
Lewis Hicks is currently being held without bond. But what about that night manager at Walgreens who called him there to commit the carnage? I haven’t seen any news reports of who that person is. That individual needs to be under arrest and charged as an accomplice!