A Chicago man who was one of three people involved in the armed carjacking of a Wheaton couple was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in prison, according to DuPage County court records.
In a negotiated plea, Phillip Smith, 28, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular hijacking and agreed to the 20-year term in exchange for prosecutors dropping other counts he faced, court records say.
Smith, previously of the 3900 block of West Flournoy Street, and two other men are accused of following a Wheaton couple to their residence on the night of Feb. 22, 2017. Smith and Carlos Moore, both wearing masks, allegedly accosted the couple at gunpoint in their garage and demanded the keys to the car. The trio left with the vehicle and were later able to elude police in a chase after the car was spotted. It was later recovered in a Chicago parking lot, authorities said.
The victims were not injured during the incident.
Police later arrested Moore and Smith, but the third person was never charged. Moore is serving a 21-year prison sentence after pleading guilty last year to armed robbery.
Clifford Ward is a freelance reporter.
