Pair Of Fraudsters Stole Cars To Sell Them Off: Evanston Police

EVANSTON, IL — Evanston police said they arrested two people in a scheme involving attempts to sell other people’s cars to towing companies without the owners’ permission.

Police identified the suspects as Syniah A. Myvett, 22, of Chicago, and Elijah E. Murphy, 31, of Evanston.

The investigation began July 8, when Evanston officers received a delayed report about an attempt to sell a car to a company that buys junk cars. According to police, the person trying to sell the vehicle did not own it and did not have permission to sell it. Detectives then found similar cases in Evanston and outside the city.

On July 9, a towing company contacted detectives about another request to buy and tow a car. This time, the people arranging the sale sent an ID and an insurance document. Detectives found that the insurance policy belonged to a different person and a different car.

Detectives set up a fake sale with the towing company on July 10 near West Jarlath Street and North Rockwell Street in Chicago. At the exchange, Myvett got out of the passenger side of a car and accepted $300 from a tow truck driver for another car she did not own or have permission to sell. Detectives then arrested her without incident.

Police said Murphy was driving the car Myvett arrived in, and he drove away when detectives tried to arrest him. While fleeing, he hit a parked car, a car in traffic and the tow truck, police said. Police also said he nearly hit a detective before driving onto the sidewalk and leaving the area.

Police later found the car that day in the 1500 block of Howard Street in Evanston. Murphy was arrested by Chicago police on Sept. 9 in the 6200 block of South Laflin Street on an Evanston police warrant.

Two Evanston police officers were injured during the attempt to arrest Murphy, police said. One officer suffered cuts to her hand and forearm that required hospital treatment, and the other suffered a hand injury.

Detectives also linked Myvett to a May 18 incident in the 2300 block of Lake Street, police said. In that case, police said she arranged to have another person’s car towed using documents that listed her as the owner. The vehicle’s owner arrived before the tow truck left, and the driver returned the car. The owner reported that Myvett took the license plate.

Myvett was charged with one Class 2 felony count of possession of a stolen motor vehicle.

The case against Murphy was presented to a Cook County grand jury on Oct. 7, and the grand jury returned an indictment. Police said the indictment allowed additional charges to move forward in court, including vehicle theft conspiracy, resisting arrest with injury to a police officer, aggravated fleeing or eluding causing injury, and aggravated assault to a police officer with a motor vehicle.