Westmont juvenile charged in carjacking transferred to adult court

A 16-year-old Westmont resident accused in juvenile court of shooting a woman in the leg and hijacking her car at gunpoint has been transferred to adult court.

Mitch Crawford, of the 1100 Block of S. Williams Street, made his first appearance in adult court Wednesday. On May 27, Juvenile Court Judge Anthony Coco granted the state’s motion to transfer Crawford’s case to adult court.

Crawford has been charged with one count each of aggravated vehicular hijacking, aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated fleeing and eluding and unlawful possession of a concealable firearm by a minor. His bond has been set at $250,000, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.

On Jan. 4, at approximately 11:54 p.m., Westmont police responded to a call of a vehicular hijacking that had reportedly occurred at the Suffield Gardens apartment complex. Upon their arrival, police found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound to her leg. She was transported to a local hospital for medical attention and is currently recovering from her injuries, the release stated.

The victim allegedly was returning to her home and parked her car near her apartment. When the victim opened her car door, Crawford allegedly was standing outside the door armed with a gun. He allegedly pointed the gun at the victim’s face and ordered her to get out of the car, according to the release.

He allegedly 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 eastbound on 63rd Street. Approximately 11 minutes later, the victim’s car was located northbound on Route 83 near Interstate 88 by an Oak Brook police officer.

When the officer activated his lights and sirens, Crawford fled in the vehicle onto Interstate 290/Mannheim Road. During a brief chase, he allegedly reached speeds in excess of 100 mph before crashing the vehicle as he attempted to exit the highway. He was taken into custody at this time, the release stated.

Police recovered a loaded P80 polymer gun with no serial number and an extended magazine in the vehicle. On Jan. 6, Crawford appeared at a juvenile detention hearing where he was ordered to be detained. He has remained in custody since that time.

“The extreme level of violence and complete disregard for the safety of the public alleged in this case cannot and will not be tolerated,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release.”The criminal behavior alleged in this case has a damaging impact not only on the victim, but on the entire community as well.”

Crawford’s next court appearance is scheduled for June 22 for status. He faces a prison sentence of between six to 55 years.