CHICAGO — A 31-year-old who went on a “one-man crime spree” through Humboldt Park, committing a string of carjackings and shooting at people until Chicago cops shot at him and arrested him on The 606 trail, has been given a 20-year prison sentence.
Santiago Leon was wearing an ankle monitor for a pending domestic battery case when he launched into a string of violent crimes around 7 a.m. on April 22, 2021.
Over the next 35 minutes, officials said Leon fired a gun while trying to carjack a driver in the 3700 block of West Hirsch; attempted to take another car at gunpoint in the 1500 block of North Avers; robbed a victim in the 3800 block of West North Avenue; and fired a gun while successfully carjacking a driver in the 1500 block of North Hamlin.
A Chicago police officer eventually located Leon near the west terminus of The 606. Leon allegedly threatened the officer with a gun, prompting the cop to open fire. No injuries were reported.
During an initial bail hearing, prosecutors said two of the carjacking victims were nurses who had just finished working overnight shifts. The judge presiding that day called him a “one-man crime spree.”
Yesterday, Leon pleaded guilty to armed robbery, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon with a previous conviction, aggravated assault of a peace officer with a firearm, and aggravated vehicular hijacking with a weapon. Prosecutors dropped multiple counts of attempted murder and other felonies.
Judge Peggy Chiampas handed Leon sentences that effectively amount to 20 years. He will receive 1,255 days of credit earned while in jail.
