Teen sentenced to 20 years for shooting Westmont woman, hijacking her car

A former Westmont teen was sentenced March 19 to 20 years in prison for shooting a woman in the leg and hijacking her car at gunpoint when he was 15 years old, prosecutors said.

Mitch Crawford, 17, appeared at his sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to one count of aggravated vehicular hijacking, a Class X felony, on Feb. 2, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.

On Jan. 6, 2022, Crawford appeared at a detention hearing in juvenile court where he was ordered detained. On May 27, 2022, the court granted the state’s motion to transfer the case to adult court where bond was set at $250,000. Crawford has remained in custody at the Kane County Juvenile Justice Center since that time, according to the release.

About 11:54 p.m. Jan. 4, 2022, Westmont police responded to a call of a vehicular hijacking at the Suffield Gardens apartment complex. Police found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound to her leg. She was taken to a local hospital for medical attention and has since recovered from her injury, authorities said.

After an investigation, Westmont police determined the victim was returning home and parked her car near her apartment. When she opened her car door, Crawford was standing outside the door armed with a gun, which he pointed at the victim’s face and ordered her to get out of the car. Crawford then shot the victim in her leg, pulled her out of the car by the hood of her coat and fled the scene in the victim’s car east on 63rd Street, according to the release.

About 11 minutes later, the victim’s car was located on Route 83 near Interstate 88 by an Oak Brook police officer in a marked squad car. After the Oak Brook officer initiated pursuit, Crawford drove away onto Interstate 290 reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph.

Crawford crashed the car as he tried to exit the highway and was arrested. When searching the vehicle, police found a loaded P80 polymer gun with no serial number and an extended magazine, according to the release.

“At just 15 years old, Mitch Crawford shot an innocent woman as she sat in her car outside of her residence,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “He then dragged her out of her car by the hood of her coat and then fled in her vehicle. After initially appearing in juvenile court, the case was transferred to adult court at my office’s request.

“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. Armed violence triggers fear and a loss of safety and security enjoyed by the entire community and will not be tolerated in DuPage County.”

Crawford will be required to serve 85% of his sentence before being eligible for parole.