Overview

• Maurice McDowell, 43, allegedly forced a 36-year-old taxi driver from his cab near Madison and Wabash before using the vehicle to run over the victim.
• The taxi driver remains in serious condition at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and a 45-year-old bystander suffered minor facial injuries.
• Officers arrested McDowell just before midnight at 10 South Wabash Avenue after he crashed the stolen cab and actively resisted, battering responding officers.
• Court records show he faced two active warrants at the time of his arrest—one for drug paraphernalia possession and another for failing to appear on a revoked-license charge.
• The case has prompted renewed calls for increased police patrols and stricter pretrial detention measures as downtown Chicago grapples with a wave of carjackings.