CHICAGO – A man accused of carjacking two men and then streaming a bragging video on social media about getting this bitch’s “keys” has been sentenced to nine years in prison. Elijah Manning, 20, was also jailed for another nine years for a robbery in the suburbs. The sentences will be served concurrently.
Manning, of Brookfield, and an accomplice pointed a gun at two men, ages 19 and 20, in the 7000 block of South Hermitage shortly after midnight on Nov. 13, 2023, prosecutors said. After obtaining the victims’ wallets and keys, Manning allegedly drove away with the 20-year-old’s Infiniti G37.
Almost immediately, he allegedly streamed that boastful video while driving the hijacked car; images that prosecutors would later use against him. Surveillance footage also showed him using one of the victims’ credit cards at a suburban store, prosecutors said.
A judge called Manning “shamelessly proud” of what he had done.
Manning struck a deal with prosecutors: he pleaded guilty to armed robbery and they dropped much more serious charges, including carjacking. Judge Neera Walsh gave him a nine-year term.
He also pleaded guilty to an armed robbery in the suburbs, which was not a carjacking, according to court records. Judge Terry Gallagher heard that case.
During a hearing a year ago, a judge cited Manning’s juvenile history as an aggravating factor in the hijacking case. In 2019, Manning was arrested for illegal firearms possession. While the case was pending, he received a new charge of theft, the judge said.
Manning’s sentence will be halved for good behavior. He is expected to be released on parole on February 23, 2029.
