A Plainfield man who admitted to firing a handgun at a car carrying purported rival gang members following a January party in Woodridge has asked to avoid a 6-year prison term by entering the state’s 6-month boot camp program.
Frank Saunders, 19, pleaded guilty Thursday to aggravated discharge of a firearm in connection with a Jan. 3 incident in Woodridge, said Assistant DuPage County State’s Atty. Paul Marchese.
Saunders, who Marchese said is a gang member, attended a party where rival gang members were present. After the rival gang members left, Saunders saw they had written symbols representing their gang in the frosted windows of a car belonging to a member of Saunders’ gang, said Marchese.
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In retaliation, he fired a handgun at a car carrying the rival gang members, injuring no one, but breaking car windows.
“This was incredibly stupid and dangerous and only by an act of God are you not standing before me after having shot someone,” said Judge Robert Anderson.
Anderson sentenced Saunders to 6 years in prison but said that he would recommend that Saunders be permitted to enter the state’s boot camp program.
The decision to allow someone to participate in boot camp and avoid most of their prison sentence is up to state corrections officials, who usually try to accommodate a judge’s recommendation.