A Chicago man found himself in hot water after being sentenced to 13 years in prison for his involvement in two carjackings while wearing an ankle monitor for a pending felony gun case.
Back in early 2024, Eric Smith, then 19 years old, was caught with a loaded Micro Draco AK-47 pistol after fleeing from the scene of a crashed stolen car. Despite prosecutors’ request to detain him as a public safety threat, Judge Charles Beach opted for a curfew and electronic monitoring instead.
Smith’s ankle monitor proved to be a crucial piece of evidence for Chicago police a few weeks later. Using its GPS history, authorities were able to link Smith to two armed carjackings that took place while he was supposed to be on house arrest.
The carjackings occurred in the Hyde Park neighborhood, with up to four masked men targeting victims near or inside their vehicles. The group would display guns, demand wallets and phones, and then flee in the stolen vehicles.
Smith was identified as the driver of the getaway car in two of these incidents, one on South Cottage Grove Avenue and another on East 55th Street. Police later found the stolen vehicle at his residence, still running with the keys in the ignition.
Upon arresting Smith, officers noted that he was still wearing his ankle monitor. The home confinement unit confirmed his device’s location at both carjacking sites during the crimes.
In court, Smith pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated vehicular hijacking and received concurrent 11-year sentences from Judge Tyria Walton. Additionally, he pleaded guilty to aggravated unlawful use of a weapon for the initial gun case that led to his electronic monitoring, receiving a consecutive two-year term for that offense.
Despite his 13-year total sentence, Smith may have the opportunity for early release with good behavior. It was also revealed that he was on release for two other matters, including a juvenile stolen vehicle case for which he was on probation and a separate vehicular trespassing charge.
Records show that Smith had been charged three times in 2023 with criminal trespass to vehicles. One case was dropped, another was dismissed, and a third was also dropped shortly after being filed.
The case of Eric Smith serves as a cautionary tale of the consequences of criminal behavior and the importance of abiding by the conditions of one’s release. Smith’s actions not only resulted in a lengthy prison sentence but also highlighted the role of technology in aiding law enforcement in solving crimes.
