Chicago man gets 12 years in prison for stealing Jeep with girl in back seat
A Chicago man was sentenced Monday to 12 years in prison for stealing a Jeep Cherokee at an Aurora gas station while the owner's 11-year-old daughter was in the back seat.
Prosecutors had asked for 25 years for Tyrelle Pulley, 23, of the 5000 block of South Princeton Avenue.
Pulley pleaded guilty on March 19 to one count of aggravated vehicular hijacking.
The crime happened about 5:45 a.m. on May 4, 2018, at a gas station in the 1200 block of North Eola Road. Authorities said the victim was outside his Jeep and preparing to pump gas when another vehicle pulled up.
Pulley exited the vehicle and got into the unlocked Jeep.
The victim tried to stop Pulley by jumping onto the hood of the Jeep and yelling that his daughter was inside. The girl opened the back passenger door and jumped out of the vehicle.
Roughly 45 minutes later, an Illinois State Police trooper discovered Pulley driving on I-290.
Pulley will have to serve at least 50% of his sentence before being eligible for parole. He received credit for the time he has been held in the DuPage County jail since May 5, 2018.
"Thankfully, the young girl involved in this violent crime was not seriously injured," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a news release. "Her quick thinking and courage to jump out of a moving vehicle may be what kept a terrifying situation from turning tragic."