20-Year Sentence For Westmont Teen In 2022 Shooting, Carjacking

WESTMONT, IL — A teen who pleaded guilty in connection to a 2022 shooting and carjacking in Westmont has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Mitch Crawford, 17, who was tried as an adult, had been accused of shooting a woman in the leg and stealing her car at gunpoint when he was 15 years old.

Police were called to Suffield Gardens Apartments at Suffield Court and 63rd Street just before midnight on Jan. 4, 2022, for a report of a carjacking in which a woman had been shot in the leg. The woman was taken to a nearby hospital and later recovered.

According to prosecutors, Crawford had waited outside the woman's car and pointed a gun at her when she opened her door. He then shot her in the leg, grabbed the hood of her coat and pulled her from the car before getting in and driving off east on 63rd.

A short time later, Oak Brook police tried to stop Crawford, but he continued to flee at speeds of up to 100 mph before crashing the stolen car. After the crash, police took Crawford into custody and reported finding a loaded P80 polymer gun with an extended magazine in the car.

“At just fifteen-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.

Berlin added, "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 must serve 85 percent of his 20-year sentence before he becomes eligible for parole.