Driver fires gun in air to spook car thieves, then gets arrested, Illinois police say

An Illinois man shot his gun in the air to scare thieves stealing his car, police say.

Then he was arrested.

The 43-year-old man’s car had been stolen several weeks earlier while he was working as a Door Dash and Uber Eats driver south of Chicago, police said.

Although the vehicle was eventually found and returned, the key fob was never recovered.

That’s why Tinley Park police suspect his car was targeted by thieves again Tuesday night. The man’s son called him from outside his home because he spotted the car speeding out of a parking lot, police said.

Realizing his car was being stolen again, the man loaded a handgun and went outside to fire three shots in the air in hopes of scaring the thieves, police said.

On Wednesday, the man was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm.

Tinley Park police were still investigating the car theft but hadn’t announced any arrests.