A judge has sentenced a Zion man to 21 years in prison after four suspects carjacked a mother and her child while armed with machine guns in Waukegan before leading officers on a high-speed chase.
Elijah Monette, 22, of Zion, was charged in March 2024 with two counts of aggravated vehicular hijacking, possession of a machine gun, possession of a stolen vehicle, five counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and resisting a peace officer causing injury.
The charges stem from an armed carjacking that the Waukegan Police Department was called to around 2 p.m. on March 17, 2024, at the Target, 3050 North Lewis Avenue in Waukegan.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Jeffrey Facklam said a suspect armed with a handgun pointed it at a woman’s head while demanding her car.
The woman was frightened and told the suspect that she needed to get her son out of the car first, Facklam said.
Then-Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Scott Chastain said the 33-year-old Waukegan woman was able to remove her young son from her dark gray 2015 Dodge Durango.
Four or five suspects then fled in the Dodge southbound on Lewis Avenue from the scene.
A witness who saw the incident unfolding called 911 and provided dispatchers with a description of the main suspect.
Monette matched the description of the main carjacking suspect, Facklam said.
Facklam said a Flock camera later alerted officers to the location of the stolen Dodge.
Officers spotted the stolen vehicle around 2:40 p.m. and attempted to stop it.
The Dodge failed to stop, made evasive maneuvers and a police pursuit ensued, Facklam said. Numerous police departments assisted in the chase.
The chase traveled through Wadsworth and entered into the Gurnee area on Hunt Club Road.
The Dodge sideswiped another occupied vehicle at Hunt Club Road and Grand Avenue in Gurnee, Chastain said.
The Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT) responded to the Gurnee crash to conduct an investigation.
During the chase, the Dodge lost its front driver-side tire and the vehicle was driving on the rim.
The pursuit continued southbound on Hunt Club Road and went eastbound on Route 120 through Park City before briefly entering back into Waukegan.
The chase, which reached speeds of 120 mph at one point, then went south into North Chicago where it came to an end in a grassy lot near Argonne Drive and Kennedy Drive.
Approximately six subjects fled on foot from the Dodge, Facklam said.
Numerous police departments, consisting of dozens of police officers, responded to the scene alongside drones and canine units, police officials said.
A perimeter was set up and a search ensued for the suspects. Chastain said officers took four suspects into custody.
In addition to Monette, J’Keveon Lewis, 20, of Zion, was charged with possession of a machine gun, possession of a stolen vehicle and five counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
The driver of the vehicle, J’Corey Lewis, 17, of Waukegan, is being tried as an adult in Lake County Circuit Court on a slew of charges. Other juveniles, whose identities have not been released, are also facing charges.
J’Keveon Lewis admitted he knew the car was stolen and also said that he possessed multiple guns in the car, Facklam said.
J’Keveon Lewis also said he videotaped himself on Snapchat with the guns as well as took a video of the police chasing after the stolen car, Facklam said.
Everyone in the car was reported to be armed with guns. Four guns, some of which had “switch” devices rendering them fully automatic, were recovered, Chastain said.
One of the handguns had an extended magazine with a 30-round capacity and another gun was stolen.
Chastain said two Waukegan police squad cars sustained minor damage in the chase when one was struck by flying debris and the other experienced a blown tire.
“This was a horrific crime that occurred in broad daylight with no regard for human life, based on the actions of the offenders,” Chastain said after the arrests.
Court records show Monette pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated vehicular hijacking, a Class X felony.
Lake County Judge James Booras sentenced Monette to 21 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
“What started as a terrifying ordeal for a mother and her young son, resulted in a high-speed chase that jeopardized the safety of the community,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, whose office handled the prosecution, said.
“The collaboration between my office and the Waukegan Police Department was instrumental in our ability to hold this individual responsible for this crime and compromising public safety,” Raoul added.
“It is a pleasure to learn of the court decision resulting from the combined efforts of Waukegan Patrol Officers, Waukegan Criminal Investigators, and the Attorney General’s Office,” Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Craig Neal said after the sentencing.
“Working collaboratively, we were able to successfully hold suspects accountable for their crimes while committing an aggravated vehicular hijacking. This horrendous act forever impacted the life of a victim and their family. Our hope is the justice served acts as a deterrent for others seeking to commit such crimes,” Neal said.
The cases against J’Keveon Lewis and J’Corey Lewis remain pending in Lake County Circuit Court.
Charges against the remaining juveniles are pending in the Lake County Juvenile Detention Court.