Aurora man gets 16 years for 2017 shootout with cops

An Aurora man has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for a 2017 shootout with police officers in the west suburb.

Jorge L. Guzman, 24, agreed to the sentence Dec. 27 in exchange for a guilty plea to two felony counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm at a peace officer, according to a statement from the Kane County state’s attorney’s office.

“This is another example of how gangs and guns create a violent atmosphere that endangers police officers and citizens,” Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said in the statement. “Mr. Guzman should consider himself fortunate that no one was killed.”

Kane County state’s attorney’s office

Undercover officers were investigating alleged gang members suspected in a series of recent home burglaries on May 24, 2017, when an unmarked police van pulled into a driveway in the 900 block of Grove Street, according to prosecutors and Aurora police. A 1996 Mitsubishi Lancer drove past the van and stopped before Guzman got out and ran toward the van.

An officer in the van rolled down a window and shouted, “Stop! Police!” prosecutors said. Guzman kept running at the van and pulled out a handgun, at which point one of the officers in the van fired at him.

Guzman ducked behind a tree and fired three gunshots in the direction of the police van, prosecutors said. Officers in another unmarked vehicle nearby also fired at Guzman, according to police.

During the exchange, Guzman ran and got into the back seat of a 1993 Toyota Corolla that had driven up during the incident, police said. A 20-year-old passenger in the Toyota was then shot in the leg by police.

The driver of the Toyota tried to flee the scene, but the car sped backward into a telephone pole in the same block, police said. Guzman and the two other men inside were taken into custody.

Guzman was initially charged with four counts of attempted murder, seven counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm, police said at the time. One of the other men in the Mitsubishi was charged with a parole violation.

Guzman will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole, prosecutors said. He received credit for 948 days served in the Kane County Jail since his arrest.

He was transferred to the Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill on Dec. 31, according to Illinois Department of Corrections inmate records.

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