CHICAGO — A man accused of opening fire on a car occupied by his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend and her 3-year-old girl in Uptown was sentenced to seven years this week, according to court records.
Fabian Regalado, 32, received the sentence Wednesday after pleading guilty to two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm into an occupied vehicle before Judge James Linn, court records show. Prosecutors dropped six counts of attempted murder in the plea deal. Linn sentenced him to seven years on each count, to be served concurrently.
Prosecutors charged Regalado in May 2021, 18 months after the incident unfolded in the 4600 block of North Sheridan Road on October 4, 2019. Police identified Regalado as the gunman almost immediately, officials said, but they couldn’t find him.
The boyfriend of Regalado’s ex was seated in a BMW with the woman’s 3-year-old daughter, waiting for the woman to get off work, prosecutors said.
As they waited, Regalado rolled to a stop next to them in a red pickup truck. The male victim looked over just in time to see Regalado holding the truck’s steering wheel with one hand and firing a gun at him with the other, officials said during Regalado’s initial bail hearing.
The man ducked and tried to pull the girl down with him to keep her from being injured. Officials said that four bullets went through the victim’s driver’s side window, another hit the door frame, and one hit the driver’s door handle. Shattered glass struck the man’s face, but neither he nor the girl were seriously injured.
Prosecutors said the man knew Regalado and identified him to the police. Regalado’s ex identified the red truck as Regalado’s after viewing surveillance footage.
In 2013, Regalado sped away from police when they tried to stop him for holding a pistol out the driver’s side window of his vehicle. He was arrested after he crashed into seven cars, injuring three people, and eventually served two years for aggravated fleeing.
Regalado arrived at Stateville Correctional Center on Thursday. His anticipated parole date has not been announced, but he will receive a 50% sentence reduction for good behavior plus 720 days of credit he earned in jail.
