CHICAGO — A man accused of shooting at Chicago cops while on parole and on felony bail last year has been handed a 12-year sentence.
Earnest Lockett, 26, was on parole for two gun cases and had skipped bail in a pending stolen vehicle case when he encountered Chicago cops around 7 p.m. on June 5, 2023.
The officers went to the 5900 block of South Yale that evening after a ShotSpotter detected gunfire nearby and they found a man at the scene with a gunshot wound to his arm, prosecutors said.
Surveillance video showed Lockett and other gunmen exchanged shots with the injured man before escaping in a black Jeep, according to court filings. Officials said two uniformed Chicago police officers driving a marked patrol car spotted the Jeep nearby and tried to pull it over.
The Jeep’s driver sped away from the officers after they activated their lights and sirens. Prosecutors said she drove the wrong way down streets and ran red lights as Lockett shot at the squad car from a side window.
The woman eventually crashed into a concrete wall in the 5900 block of South Ashland, and four of the vehicle’s five occupants tried to escape, according to CPD. Cops detained all of them, including a man in critical condition with a gunshot wound to his chest.
Police found a 9-millimeter MAC-11 handgun on the rear passenger floorboard, where Lockett allegedly fired from. Prosecutors said Lockett admitted to possessing the weapon but claimed he never fired it.
This week, Lockett pleaded guilty to aggravated discharge of a firearm toward an occupied vehicle and armed habitual criminal. Judge Charles Burns handed him the 12-year sentence and informed Lockett that he must serve at least 85% of the time before being eligible for release. Prosecutors dropped multiple counts of attempted murder and other felonies in Lockett’s plea deal.
The stolen car case that Lockett was on bail is still pending.
