Chicago — A reputed Latin King gang member has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for firing shots at Chicago police officers in West Rogers Park two years ago.
Gerardo Jasso was found guilty of three felonies after a bench trial before Judge Shelley Sutker-Dermer, according to court records. But the judge acquitted him of the most serious charges he faced: attempted murder.
The CPD officers were in full uniform when they saw Jasso drinking on the public way in the 6200 block of North Artesian around 3:15 p.m. on November 28, 2020, prosecutors said. The officers are said to have recognized Jasso as a local gang member and went up to him to talk.
But Jasso ran into an alley while holding a firearm with an extended ammunition magazine, prosecutors said. According to the state’s allegations, the cops ordered him to drop the gun, but he continued running, then turned and fired shots at officers who were chasing him. The officers fired back. No one was hurt in the shootout, which was caught on private surveillance video and CPD body cameras.
About 3 minutes later, police found Jasso hiding under a porch after a resident directed them to his hiding spot, according to prosecutors. Officers searched the path of the foot pursuit and found a 9-millimeter handgun under a bush.
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During Jasso’s initial bail hearing, prosecutors said he admitted firing the gun to scare off the person chasing him. But his defense attorney, Steven Goldman, wrote in a court filing that Jasso plans to appeal his conviction because he believes videos of the incident do not show him pointing the gun.
Judge Sutker-Dermer gave Jasso a sentence of 14 years for aggravated discharge of a firearm toward a peace officer, 14 years for aggravated discharge of a firearm toward an occupied vehicle, and 5 years for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The sentences will be served concurrently.
According to Illinois Department of Corrections records, he is scheduled to be paroled on July 13, 2032.
Jasso had much better luck with a bench trial in July 2019. In that case, he was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm after Chicago police accused him of having a gun when they approached him for urinating on the street about a half-mile from where he allegedly shot at the cops one year later.
He took the case to a bench trial before Judge Timothy Chambers, who found him not guilty on all counts, according to court documents.