A four-time convicted felon who pointed a gun at an off-duty Chicago police officer last year, prompting the officer to open fire on him, has been sentenced to six years in prison. Michael Martinez, 28, was on electronic monitoring for another gun case at the time. He received an additional six years for that case.
Judge Michael Hood handed down the sentences after Martinez pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in a vehicle with a previous conviction, according to court records. Hood ordered the sentences to be served concurrently. Prosecutors dropped more serious charges, including Class X armed habitual criminal, in the plea deal.
Martinez, who has been convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm twice before, was on an ankle monitor for a pending gun case when he allegedly pointed a gun at the off-duty cop around 8:15 a.m. on November 8, 2022.
He was in the front passenger seat of a vehicle stopped for a red light in the 2000 block of North Laramie when the cop pulled out of a nearby service station with his two minor children in the back seat, prosecutors said.
Officials said Martinez pulled out a gun with a laser sight attachment and pointed it at the off-duty officer’s car. The cop opened fire, striking the leg of the rear passenger in Martinez’s car. Portions of the incident were captured on video.
Martinez’s driver took the backseat passenger to a hospital, where a security guard noted the car’s license plate. Investigators used surveillance videos and license plate reader technology to find the driver’s car, which had bullet holes in it. They staked out the car until the driver returned and learned from him that Martinez was the man who pointed the gun, according to prosecutors.
His private defense attorney said he has two children and was a “very active parent” and an “amazing father.” She submitted letters to the court from three people who described him as a good role model and a supportive and good father.
The two sentences he received from Judge Hood effectively resulted in a 12-year sentence, which will be reduced by 50% for good behavior. Martinez also earned 922 credit days while in jail and on electronic monitoring. The Illinois Department of Corrections expects him to be paroled on December 18, 2026.
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