Dupage Policy Journal

A 15-year-old Westmont boy has been charged with shooting a 54-year-old woman in her leg, stealing her car at gunpoint, and leading police on a high-speed chase that ended with a wrecked vehicle.

The teenager, whose name was not released because of his age, appeared at a detention hearing on Thursday where he was ordered detained, according to a release by DuPage County. The state filed a motion to have the juvenile transferred to adult court and charged with one count of aggravated vehicular hijacking, one count of aggravated battery with a firearm, one count of unlawful possession of a fireman and one count of aggravated fleeing and eluding. All are felonies.

“The allegations that this juvenile shot an innocent woman as she sat in her car outside of her residence, dragged her out of the car by the hood of her coat and then fled in her vehicle are outrageous,” DuPage County State’s attorney Robert Berlin said in a release. “The type of violent behavior alleged in this case has an adverse effect on the safety and security enjoyed by the entire community and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

According to the DuPage County website, Westmont police officers on Tuesday found a victim suffering from a gunshot wound to her leg. She said as she parked her car near her apartment, the defendant was standing outside her car pointing a gun at her face.

Police say he ordered her out of the car, shot her in the leg and fled the scene. An officer spotted the stolen car a few minutes later, and a high-speed chase ensued. The defendant's speed reached in excess of 100 mph before he crashed the car while attempting to leave the highway.

Police retrieved from the vehicle a P80 polymer gun with no serial number with an extended magazine.

“We are all thankful that the victim survived this alleged attack and is recovering from her injuries,” Berlin said. “I thank the Westmont Police Department for their efforts on this case as well as the Oak Brook Police Department for their assistance in the apprehension of the suspect.”

The juvenile’s next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, for status on the state’s motion to transfer the case to adult court.

While the crime rate in DuPage County is lower than that of the average U.S. county, residents should always be cautious about their surroundings when parking cars. There are 0.3411 vehicle thefts per 1,000 residents in a standard year, according to Crimegrade.com.

There were more than 1,400 carjackings reported in Chicago in 2020, which is the most since 2001. There were fewer than 700 in 2019.