Man Gets 10 Years After Opening Fire Near School, Busy Intersection

By Sam Borcia, the Lake & McHenry County Scanner

A Waukegan man who opened fire on a vehicle during a road rage incident near a school and busy intersection in Waukegan has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Aaron C. Johnson, 28, of Waukegan, was charged with attempted murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm, two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, two counts of felon unlawful possession of a firearm and one count of reckless discharge of a firearm.

The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office reached a plea deal with Johnson, who pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated discharge of a firearm.

In exchange, all other charges were dismissed and Johnson was sentenced to 10 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Prosecutors said the shooting occurred near New York Avenue and Grand Avenue just after 1 p.m. on November 26, 2019.

Johnson was the passenger in a car that cut off a pickup truck near the intersection of Grand and Lewis Avenues in Waukegan.

[Suggested Article] Firefighters quickly rescue person in water after boat capsizes in Algonquin

The man in the truck, now a 61-year-old Waukegan resident, told police that after he was cut off, Johnson and a woman in the other car began “flipping him off” and he pulled into a parking lot at Grand and New York Avenues.

The car Johnson was in pulled up to the parking lot and Johnson got out with a gun in his hand and began walking toward the victim’s vehicle, prosecutors said.

Seeing the gun, the victim pulled out of the parking lot and drove past Johnson, who chased the truck briefly on foot and fired two shots in its direction.

Lake County State’s Attorney Felony Division Chief Jeff Facklam said it is not clear where the two bullets ended up but they were fired toward the victim’s vehicle in a busy area.

He said school was in session that day and a witness in the case who saw the shooting was going to pick up his child from school at the time.

[Suggested Article] New mass vaccination site opening in Waukegan; McHenry vaccination site expands

No one was injured in the shooting. Business surveillance cameras in the area caught Johnson shooting at the pickup as it drove away.

According to police reports, the shooting occurred about 564 feet from Daniel Webster Middle School.

“The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office has zero tolerance for road rage and is committed to protecting motorists from shootings,” Facklam said Friday after the plea deal was completed in court.

“This was a busy area of Waukegan right in the middle of a school day,” Facklam added.

The resolution to the case was approved Friday morning by Lake County Circuit Judge James Booras.

Prosecutors said Johnson has prior convictions for weapon and drug charges.

Johnson expressed remorse and apologized for his conduct during the proceedings Friday.

Under the plea agreement, the sentence will be served at 85% and Johnson will be given 507 days credit for time served in Lake County Jail since his arrest.

Lake and McHenry County Scanner is a local breaking news website covering issues that matter such as shootings, stabbings, house fires, kidnappings, car accidents, and more around Lake County and McHenry County.