On Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at approximately 8:24 p.m., Peoria Police officers were dispatched to the 100 block of E. Arcadia regarding a report of a vehicle theft that had just occurred.
Upon arrival, officers did not locate any victims at the scene. A short distance away, officers made contact with a 39-year-old female and a 32-year-old male who reported that an adult male and adult female entered a vehicle after its owner had briefly stepped inside a nearby business. A male occupant who remained in the vehicle attempted to stop the suspects, resulting in a struggle over the gear shift.
During the altercation, the female suspect reportedly produced a needle and stabbed the male victim. The victim exited the vehicle and was later transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The suspects then fled the scene in the stolen vehicle.
Through the course of the investigation, officers located the stolen vehicle near E. Nebraska and N. Delaware. The female suspect, identified as 31-year-old Courtney R. Garms, was also located nearby and taken into custody without incident. Garms was arrested for Aggravated Vehicular Hijacking with a Weapon and transported to the Peoria County Jail.
The male suspect remains at large.
Anyone with information regarding this incident or any violent crime is encouraged to contact the Peoria Police Department at (309) 673-4521. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through tip411 or by calling Peoria Crime Stoppers at (309) 673-9000.
**All suspects and arrestees are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. **