AKRON, Ohio — Police believe the carjacking of an elderly woman in Cleveland was committed by the same group of people who carjacked a man and tried to carjack a woman in Akron on the same night.
Investigators believe the crime spree started around 8:30 p.m. Friday at Steelyard Commons in Cleveland where an 80-year-old woman, who was waiting for her daughter to return from an ATM, was carjacked by masked men.
According to police, the stolen vehicle was a Cadillac SUV, and within two hours, it was spotted at the scene of two other crimes in Akron.
In the first incident, a 19-year-old woman was in the parking lot of Manny's Pub on Brown Street. She reported two gunmen held a gun to her window and tried to get her out of her car.
"I just drove and left," she told a 911 operator, "I'm 19 and I live on a farm, so I have a shotgun in my car—but I did not use it or pull it."
Within the hour, 24-year-old Dustin Worstell, of Orrville, reported that he was carjacked at gunpoint in the parking lot of Gatsby's Pub located in the 2500 block of Romig Road.
Worstell said a black SUV pulled up to him and two masked men ordered him out of his 2022 Chevy Equinox.
"They pulled me out of the car and said, 'If you want to live and keep your life, hand me your keys,'" Worstell told News 5.
His phone was also stolen. One of the robbers took off in the Equinox. The others left in the black SUV, police said.
The Summit County Sheriff's Office recovered Worstell's car in Twinsburg with help from the victim who provided information from a Chevrolet app.
"I was able to locate it and give them the exact address it was ditched," Worstell said.
Police have not made any arrests, but Akron Lt. Michael Miller said detectives are working around the clock to solve the crimes.
"This is very critical and it's probably one of our top priorities, investigative priorities, this week to try to put a stop to this," Miller said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Akron Police Detective Bureau at 330-375-2490 or 330-375-2TIP. People can also call Summit County Crimestoppers annonymousily at 330-434-COPS.
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