A man who robbed and carjacked an Uber driver just four weeks after a judge removed his ankle monitor in another robbery case has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, court records show.
Edward Williams, 21, pleaded guilty to three counts of armed robbery to resolve the charges in a plea agreement entered before Judge Charles Burns.
In January 2024, a judge removed an ankle monitor Williams had been wearing in connection with an armed robbery case in juvenile court, even though he had already been adjudicated delinquent for robbery once before, according to a court filing.
Four weeks later, on February 28, 2024, Williams and two accomplices ordered an Uber around 11 p.m. and climbed into the female driver’s 2017 Infiniti QX50.
When they reached the 9600 block of South Brennan Avenue, Williams, who was seated in the front passenger seat, pressed a firearm against the woman’s ribs and demanded her car keys, phone and purse, according to a detention petition filed by prosecutors. The three men then drove away in her SUV.
A multi-agency police hijacking task force was on patrol that night, according to a Chicago police report. An Illinois State Police plane assigned to the operation quickly spotted the hijacked SUV.
A federal helicopter operated by the Department of Homeland Security then “locked on” to the Infiniti and began tracking it, according to the report.
Williams and the other two people fled the hijacked SUV near 62nd Street and Indiana Avenue, the report said. Chicago police officers, guided by the federal helicopter, arrested Williams on the back porch of a house in the 6100 block of South Michigan Avenue.
Officers said Williams had the Uber driver’s phone on him when they took him into custody.
Court records show Williams pleaded guilty to three counts of armed robbery. Burns sentenced him to 15 years in prison.
The sentence will be reduced by 50% with good behavior, according to court records. Williams also has 1,050 days of credit for time he has already spent in custody.
The case marks the latest criminal conviction stemming from Williams’ alleged involvement in robberies despite his prior juvenile adjudication and the ankle monitor that had been removed shortly before the Uber carjacking.
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