(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – A former juvenile defendant accused of shooting a woman during a carjacking in January 2022 has been sentenced to 20 years in state prison, officials said.
Mitch Crawford of Westmont initially was charged in juvenile court after he allegedly shot the victim in the leg while commandeering her car at gunpoint. A judge later approved a request by prosecutors to have Crawford’s case transferred to adult court.
Crawford, now 17, received his two-decade sentence Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated vehicular hijacking, DuPage County prosecutors said in a news release.
The shooting occurred at the Suffield Gardens apartment complex, authorities said, when Crawford, then 15, intercepted a woman who was returning home. He pointed a gun in her face, ordered her out of the car and then shot her in the leg before pulling her out by the hood of her coat, officials said.
Crawford fled the scene in the stolen vehicle and was taken into custody after a high-speed pursuit and crash, authorities said.
“The level of depravity and disregard for human life exhibited by Mr. Crawford is astonishing. Thankfully, the victim of this violent crime has recovered from her injuries,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a prepared statement.
He said Crawford must serve 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole.
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