Prosecutors on Friday charged a man with trying to kill a Chicago police officer who approached him while investigating an allegedly hijacked car in the Loop this week. Two other men in the vehicle with Edgardo Perez face lesser felony charges.
Perez, 24, was in the car’s front passenger seat as Noel Centeno, 20, drove and Jesse Sanchez, 21, sat in the rear driver’s-side passenger seat, Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said during bond hearings for the men.
A CPD surveillance camera captured the events as they unfolded at the intersection of Lower Wacker Drive and Columbus Drive at 8:48 p.m. Wednesday
Murphy said a bodyworn camera on an officer who approached the car’s passenger side recorded the officer ordering its occupants to show their hands. The CPD surveillance camera recorded Perez firing a handgun toward the officer at close range, according to the allegations.
Camera footage shows smoke emanating from Perez’s gun as he fired through the closed passenger-side window, sending shards of glass into the cop’s eye, Murphy continued. While the bullet did not strike the officer, he was treated at Rush Hospital for eye injuries. Another officer was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for a rapid heartbeat.
Two other officers immediately opened fire on Perez, who was struck in the chest, arm, and leg. A bullet also grazed his forehead, leaving an injury that is visible in his mugshot.
Murphy said Perez was armed with a handgun that had an extended ammunition magazine and a laser sight. Police recovered one shell casing from the scene that they believe came from Perez’s gun.
He is charged with attempted murder of a peace officer, unlawful use of a weapon, and misdemeanor criminal trespass to a vehicle. Judge Susana Ortiz granted a state request to hold Perez without bail.
The Honda Accord that the men were in was hijacked on the 1400 block of West Farwell around 6:10 a.m. last Tuesday. The victim, a Hispanic man, told police that a white four-door sedan blocked his path, and four men in hoodies stepped out to demand control of the vehicle at gunpoint, according to a CPD report.
Centeno, the driver, allegedly told police that he found the car on Howard Street with the keys inside, and he didn’t know how long he had possession of it. He denied carjacking anyone.
Murphy said Centeno was AWOL on a pending felony gun case at the time of Wednesday’s incident. He was adjudicated delinquent as a juvenile for armed robbery in 2018.
Prosecutors charged him with felony possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Ortiz ordered him held without bail for violating the bond terms in his pending gun case until he sees the judge who is handling the matter next week. She set bail on the new charge at $250,000 and ordered him to go onto electronic monitoring if he can post a 10% deposit.
Officers also found a chrome revolver in the back seat near Sanchez, Murphy continued. He allegedly told police he didn’t know anything about the car, but admitted that his prints would be on the revolver.
Prosecutors charged Sanchez with felony aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, felony possession of a controlled substance, and misdemeanor criminal trespass to a vehicle. Ortiz set his bail at $50,000 with electronic monitoring. He’ll need $5,000 to get out of jail.
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