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Amid carjacking, robbery spree, LMPD warns of summer spike up over 300%

This summer from June 1 to August 4, there have been 58 reported carjacking robberies.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After several crime sprees in the last week, leaving at least one person facing charges, LMPD is warning of a trend it's seeing.

"Carjackings, as a whole, are on the rise," Lt. Emily McKinley, with LMPD's 7th Division, said. 

Lt. McKinley said it's a "large spike." The department provided data showing this summer from June 1 to August 4, there have been 58 reported carjacking robberies. During the same time period in 2019, there were only 14 reported. That's a 314% increase this summer compared to last. 

In the 7th division, McKinley said robbery numbers are "on par" with what they were at this time last year, but she said there are many more vehicles being stolen. She points to a number of factors for the possible spike. 

"Our resources have been depleted," she said. "The pandemic has limited the number of officers that we can have on the street right now due to some officers being in quarantine or some officers are sick. We have officers that are detailed to different protest-related incidents and responses so they've been having to take time off the street from their normal detective job to handle those issues."

Police arrested 20-year-old Devontaz Harper in connection to multiple robberies and carjackings Tuesday. A teen was also taken into custody. Officers and a K-9 unit found them when a cross-country chase ended in the woods near Lake Louisvilla. It was there that LMPD found the two suspects who had run from a stolen car. 

Harper and the teen allegedly carjacked a Maroon Lexus on Bannon Crossings Drive in Fern Creek and then went on to rob a woman in the Polo Fields neighborhood.

"We're seeing that a lot of the time our suspects are using these cars in other crimes, so they're using it to conceal their identity when they go commit other crimes," McKinley said. 

Arrest citations show Harper and the teen spent hours Tuesday, in multiple areas, stealing a car, money, and a cellphone from multiple people at gunpoint. A few days prior, police said Harper carjacked a $75,000 Mercedes from a man, and the day before that, he carjacked a Nissan. 

"A lot of times these are occurring in the very early morning hours, like 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. when people are going to work when there.s not a lot of people out in the neighborhood, there's not a lot of witnesses," McKinley said. 

Lt. McKinley said LMPD has noticed a trend of young adults or teens as suspects in these crimes, but she said it's not certain if they're gang-related or not. 

"This really highlights the necessity of proactive policing and community policing and police being seen in our neighborhoods," McKinley said. "Be aware of your surroundings. Don't hesitate to call us if you see something suspicious. Look out for your neighbors and talk to your neighbors."

McKinley is urging everyone to be alert and said she hopes the city will see a trend back down in carjackings.

She said LMPD has made several arrests in different cases throughout the past several months, and vehicles have been returned to their owners. 

McKinley also addressed discussion she said LMPD has seen on social media about carjackings potentially being linked to protests. She said she does not believe they are directly connected or tied to protests at this time. 

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