CHICAGO, IL – A 28-year-old man with an extensive criminal record who was handed down a twelve-year sentence earlier in October for pointing a firearm at an off-duty cop in 2022 could be out of prison by December of 2026.
Michael Martinez, who is reportedly now a four-time convicted felon, was on electronic monitoring for a then-pending gun case when he pointed a gun at an off-duty police officer in Chicago back on November 8th, 2022.
The offense reportedly occurred at around 8:15 in the morning while Martinez was riding in the front passenger seat of a vehicle that was stopped at a red light within the 2000 block of North Laramie, with the off-duty officer pulling out of a nearby service station with his two minor children in the backseat of the vehicle.
Upon noticing the brandished gun, the off-duty officer fired at the vehicle Martinez was in, resulting in a passenger riding in the rear seat being struck in the leg by the officer’s gunfire.
The aforementioned injured passenger was treated at an area hospital and Martinez was taken into custody shortly after police tracked down the driver and learned of his identity.
At the time of the incident, aside from Martinez being on monitoring for a pending gun case, he also had two prior convictions of felon in possession of a firearm.
Martinez eventually plead guilty to two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in a vehicle with a previous conviction, with Judge Michael Hood handing the felon a six-year sentence for pointing the gun at the off-duty officer and an additional six years for the pending gun case from the time of the offense earlier this October.
However, Judge Hood opted to have the prison terms run concurrently, meaning that Martinez was effectively only handed down a six-year sentence between the two separate firearm offenses.
In exchange for the plea deal, prosecutors wound up dropping the more serious charge of armed habitual criminal against Martinez, which could land someone behind bars in Illinois for up to 30 years upon conviction.
But even the six-year sentence rendered to Martinez isn’t exactly going to translate into six years in prison, as he was afforded 922 days of credit on his sentence between his time in jail and the period of his electronic monitoring.
Between Martinez’s time-served credit in conjunction with Illinois’ generous parole thresholds, the repeat offender is expected to be released by December 18th, 2026.
Michael Martinez, who is reportedly now a four-time convicted felon, was on electronic monitoring for a then-pending gun case when he pointed a gun at an off-duty police officer in Chicago back on November 8th, 2022.
The offense reportedly occurred at around 8:15 in the morning while Martinez was riding in the front passenger seat of a vehicle that was stopped at a red light within the 2000 block of North Laramie, with the off-duty officer pulling out of a nearby service station with his two minor children in the backseat of the vehicle.
Upon noticing the brandished gun, the off-duty officer fired at the vehicle Martinez was in, resulting in a passenger riding in the rear seat being struck in the leg by the officer’s gunfire.
The aforementioned injured passenger was treated at an area hospital and Martinez was taken into custody shortly after police tracked down the driver and learned of his identity.
At the time of the incident, aside from Martinez being on monitoring for a pending gun case, he also had two prior convictions of felon in possession of a firearm.
Martinez eventually plead guilty to two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in a vehicle with a previous conviction, with Judge Michael Hood handing the felon a six-year sentence for pointing the gun at the off-duty officer and an additional six years for the pending gun case from the time of the offense earlier this October.
However, Judge Hood opted to have the prison terms run concurrently, meaning that Martinez was effectively only handed down a six-year sentence between the two separate firearm offenses.
In exchange for the plea deal, prosecutors wound up dropping the more serious charge of armed habitual criminal against Martinez, which could land someone behind bars in Illinois for up to 30 years upon conviction.
But even the six-year sentence rendered to Martinez isn’t exactly going to translate into six years in prison, as he was afforded 922 days of credit on his sentence between his time in jail and the period of his electronic monitoring.
Between Martinez’s time-served credit in conjunction with Illinois’ generous parole thresholds, the repeat offender is expected to be released by December 18th, 2026.
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Comments
2023-10-17T16:32-0400 | Comment by: Robert
B.L.M. = :BLUE LIVES MATTER". Period
2023-10-18T01:06-0400 | Comment by: Art
I hate to admit it but I'm glad I'm no longer carrying a badge, my brothers and sisters have become fodder for jerks with guns and the Marxist Leftists that are filling the offices of Attorney General, Districts Attorney and Prosecutor in too many states. Add to that the "Liberal" legislatures around the country and the LEO has become the assumed bad person. If you don't act you are reviewed, if you do act you are reviewed... I live in Washington where most counties and cities are very shorthanded for officers. Some of the cities are dismantling their departments, moving 9-1-1 dispatch to a separate department, making LEOs carry Narcan and reviewing everything every officer does every minute of the day. They have civilian review boards staffed with anti-law enforcement Liberals many who supported defunding the police and others believing police are paid too much. Seattle is around 40% undermanned and even if they were at full strength they would still be handicapped with the current laws that think it is OK to steal to support your drug habit or eat because you are too lazy to work. All that and Seattle more closely resembles Dog Patch outside Da Nang RVN in 1970.