A 25-year-old man who shot at Carpentersville police officers, striking their squad car five times, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Jose M. Cervantes, of Carpentersville, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated discharge of a firearm, a class 1 felony, in exchange for the prison term under a plea agreement approved by Kane County Judge Salvatore LoPiccolo Jr.
Prosecutors said the incident occurred about 4:30 p.m. June 18, 2019, when Carpentersville police officers responded to a call about someone with a gun near Berkshire Circle and Wakefield Drive.
When they arrived, Cervantes fired multiple shots at the officers, who were inside their squad car, a Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office report said.
Five bullets struck the car and a sixth hit a nearby house. When one of the officers fired back, Cervantes was struck by a bullet and fled, the report said. He was taken into custody after a brief chase and treated for minor injuries stemming from the shooting.
Cervantes is a documented gang member and had been prohibited from possessing a gun because of a previous felony burglary conviction, the state’s attorney’s office said.
“This defendant chose to open fire on two police officers in a residential neighborhood in the middle of the afternoon, endangering numerous lives,” Assistant State’s Attorney Lori Anderson said in a statement on the shooting. “We are fortunate this situation wasn’t much worse for the Carpentersville police and for the community.”
Under state law, Cervantes must serve at least 85% of the sentence. He will receive credit for 1,066 days served in the Kane County jail awaiting the resolution of his case.