By RUMMANNA HUSSAIN
Chicago Sun-Times
Rockie Douglas | Chicago Police
The suspect in a series of carjackings—including one that led to the death of 11-year-old Donovan Turnage—was ordered held on a $1 million bond Wednesday.
Rockie Douglas, 36, was extradited from Wisconsin to Chicago to face charges of murder, aggravated vehicular hijacking with a weapon, and possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
A security guard and two Chicago Police officers saw Douglas in a popular drug spot near 50th and Princeton on Dec. 21, 2013, Cook County prosecutors said.
The officers briefly spoke with Douglas and asked him to step out of his vehicle. That’s when Douglas allegedly took off, Assistant State’s Attorney Todd Kleist said.
Donovan Turnage
The car Douglas was driving had been taken in a carjacking the day before, Kleist said.
Douglas, of north suburban Beach Park, had stolen a 60-year-old woman’s car in the 800 block of West Irving Park Road, authorities said at the time.
While leading police on a chase with that stolen car, Douglas ran a red light at the intersection of Garfield and Halsted, and crashed into a Chevrolet Suburban occupied by Donovan and his family, prosecutors said.
Turnage and his loved ones were on their way to get haircuts for Christmas.
Donovan, a fifth-grader at Morrill Math and Science School, was taken to the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital, where he later died, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.
Douglas went to a nearby gas station and carjacked another motorist at gunpoint after the deadly wreck, Kleist said. He pushed the motorist away and accelerated as the motorist tried holding onto his car.
Douglas then went to a Jewel parking lot in Oak Lawn, where he drove up to a 52-year-old woman walking to her car and pulled her purse off her shoulder, Kleist said. He drove off with the purse, which had the woman’s credit cards, ID, and $400.
Douglas then went to DuPage County, where he allegedly committed one other robbery and carjacking.
Days later, on Christmas Eve, Douglas was nabbed in a McDonald’s drive-thru in Milwaukee, and was held in the county jail until Tuesday.
At the time of his arrest, he was serving a seven-year probation for a burglary conviction in Wisconsin, authorities previously said.
Douglas was identified by the Chicago Police officers who asked him to stop, the security guard and the motorist whose car was taken at the gas station, Kleist said.
In Illinois, Douglas has previous convictions for theft, burglary and forgery.
He also has a rap sheet for similar convictions in Wisconsin.