Office of the
Illinois Attorney General
Kwame Raoul
Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced a Waukegan, Illinois man was sentenced to 21 years in prison for hijacking a vehicle at gun point that was occupied by a woman and her young son.
Elijah Monette, 22, was sentenced today by Lake County Circuit Court Judge James Booras after pleading guilty to Class X felony aggravated vehicular hijacking. Four additional juveniles are facing charges in this case.
“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,” Raoul 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.”
According to Raoul, in March 2024 Monette and two juveniles approached an SUV occupied by a woman and her 10-year-old son in a Waukegan Target parking lot. They ordered the mother and son out of the vehicle at gun point then drove away in the SUV. After spotting Monette and the juveniles on a traffic camera approximately 30 minutes later, officers from the Waukegan Police Department attempted to stop the vehicle. Monette was arrested after a 20-minute, high-speed car chase that reached 120 mph. Multiple handguns were also recovered.
The driver of the vehicle, J’Corey Lewis, 17 of Waukegan, is being tried as an adult in Lake County Circuit Court. Charges against the remaining juveniles are pending with the Lake County Juvenile Detention Court.
“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,” said Waukegan Police Department Deputy Chief Craig Neal. “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.”
Deputy Bureau Chief Jonathan McKay and Supervising Attorney Daniel Weiler prosecuted the case for Raoul’s Criminal Prosecutions Bureau.
