The FBI Chicago is searching for the “Bird.” He’s one of several fugitives on the division’s most sought list. Dane Placko from FOX 32 discusses why they are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
You can nickname him “Bird” or “Little Bird,” but his full name is Gary Luellen. He’s wanted by the FBI in Chicago for his involvement in a deadly carjacking spree in early 2023.
“I think I have almost 14 years of experience working violent crimes and this case really stood out to me. One, the brazenness — middle of the day, public areas, shopping centers, gas stations, the use of real firearms, the use of firearms with extended magazines, with switches to make them automatic weapons,” said Special Agent Dustin Gourley, who is the acting supervisor for FBI Chicago’s Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force.
“These individuals would pull up and point firearms directly at their victims, make verbal threats — verbal threats to harm them — and point the firearm literally directly at these victims. So incredibly scary, incredibly violent,” Gourley said.
According to Gourley, Luellen is one of four men charged with four separate carjackings. Three of them occurred on Chicago’s South Side, with one in Dolton.
While his co-defendants have been apprehended, Luellen remains on the run.
“He’s charged with multiple counts of carjacking, multiple counts of violating the Hobbs Act, which is essentially the federal armed robbery statute, as well as brandishing a firearm during a felony offense,” Gourley said.
According to agents, Luellen is originally from the Calumet Park region and has family in Chicago and the southern suburbs. Despite being on the run for the past two years and with only a few leads, they believe he is still in the Chicago region.
“So now we’re coming to the public and [saying], please help us. We could use your help. We need everyone’s help. The goal of this is to take him into custody safely, and that’s our priority for his safety and for our safety. So we need the public to come forward and say anything would help — anything big, anything small — but our priority is for him to be in custody safely,” Gourley said.
Luellen is a 24-year-old Black male who stands approximately six feet tall and weighs around 160 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair. He is considered armed and dangerous.
If you have any information regarding this case or Luellen’s location, please call the FBI Chicago at 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit tips.fbi.gov.
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