Man shot by Joliet police in 2012 convicted of aggravated assault

A southwest suburban man shot by Joliet police three years ago was found guilty Friday of aggravated assault against an officer.

James Pacheco, 38, faces up to six years in prison after being convicted of aggravated assault, fleeing the scene and drunken driving for the incident that happened July 30, 2012, according to a statement from the Will County state’s attorney’s office.

Two Joliet police officers responding to reports of someone breaking the window of a Chevrolet pickup truck near the 300 block of Union Street spotted Pacheco’s black Nissan nearby, prosecutors said.

Pacheco was drunk and ran after he had smashed the window of his former landlord’s truck, prosecutors said. He was then stopped by a train in the 900 block of Washington Street where he turned his car around and accelerated toward one of the officers who had gotten out of the squad car to arrest him, prosecutors said.

While trying to move out of the way of the vehicle, the officer fired several shots into the windshield, hitting Pacheco in the arm and face. The man then crashed into a light pole near State and Division streets in Lockport, prosecutors said.

He resisted arrest while inside the crashed car, forcing one of the officers to use a stun gun, prosecutors said.

Pacheco pleaded guilty to criminal damage to property for breaking the truck’s window at the outset of the trial.

He is scheduled to be sentenced in November.

Pacheco’s blood-alcohol level was tested at .184 after the incident.