Charges filed in Hammond carjacking, theft

Carjacking, auto theft, theft and misdemeanor battery charges have been filed against a Chicago man in an incident last month outside a Hammond fast-food restaurant.

Robert Daniel Abrams, 27, is charged with carjacking a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu from a couple after an argument about lewd remarks made by individuals in a van to the driver’s wife as she walked into the restaurant to use the restroom.

The driver told police after his wife returned to the car he spoke to people inside a gray Dodge Caravan, which was stopped in front of his car in the drive-thru lane at the White Castle, 6517 Calumet Ave. The man said one of the occupants punched him in the face, the probable cause affidavit states.

Witnesses identified Abrams as the man who got into the car and drove away on Jan. 12. Twelve days later, police acted on an anonymous tip and found the stolen car inside an abandoned garage at 8757 Escanaba in Chicago. The driver’s wedding ring, his wife’s purse and clothing were missing.