A 61-year-old career offender who slipped out of court in February as he was about to plead guilty to carjacking an Amazon driver in Lakeview has been recaptured and sent to prison.
Prosecutors said William Peterson attacked a 53-year-old delivery driver around 7 a.m. on August 26, 2024, in the 500 block of West Briar Place. The victim had arrived in a Toyota Camry to make a delivery when Peterson shoved him against the side of the car, pressed a sharp object into his side, and demanded the keys, prosecutors said. A Chicago Police Department case report identified the object as a knife.
Investigators assigned to the vehicular hijacking task force quickly began tracking the stolen Camry through the city’s license plate reader network, according to the report. An undercover officer watched as Peterson parked in the 7700 block of South Muskegon Avenue. Additional officers then moved in and made the arrest. Prosecutors said he still had the Camry’s keys and admitted taking the vehicle.
Despite the allegations, Judge Ankur Srivastava denied prosecutors’ request to detain Peterson and instead released him on electronic monitoring a few days later.
Last November, Judge Jennifer Coleman removed Peterson’s ankle monitor. Then, during a February 4 court hearing, Coleman noted that Peterson had “left” court, and she issued a warrant for his arrest, records show.
Sheriff’s deputies brought Peterson back before Coleman on March 31 and he pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular hijacking with a weapon.
Under Illinois sentencing rules, he must serve 50 percent of his sentence. He will also receive credit for 453 days spent on electronic monitoring.
Illinois Department of Corrections records show Peterson has spent decades cycling through the prison system. His prior convictions include a five-year sentence for theft from a person in 2017, two one-year shoplifting sentences in 2012, gun convictions in 2002 and 1990, and armed robbery convictions in 1991 and 1986.
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