A man has been sentenced to 12 months of periodic imprisonment after pleading guilty to recklessly discharging a gun inside a restaurant, leaving a patron shot, in Waukegan last year.
Ruben Perez-Gomez, 38, of Waukegan, was charged in July 2022 with reckless discharge of a firearm, a Class 4 felony, and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, a Class 4 felony.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Brooke Wanzenberg said during an initial court hearing that officers with the Waukegan Police Department responded to calls of shots fired at Los Compadres de Waukegan.
Officers arrived at the restaurant, located at 1614 Washington Street, around 12:45 a.m. on July 17, 2022.
They found Perez-Gomez and a male victim, who were both outside waiting for the police to arrive.
Officers learned that Perez-Gomez and the victim had been inside the restaurant.
Wanzenberg said that Perez-Gomez told officers that an unknown man told him he had a gun with him.
Perez-Gomez claimed he asked the man to hold the weapon, which the man allowed him to.
While Perez-Gomez was holding the gun, he accidentally discharged it, Wanzenberg said.
The victim was hit in the leg by the fired round.
The victim was transported by ambulance to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.
Perez-Gomez, who does not have a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification card or concealed carry license, remained at the scene and was cooperative with police, Wanzenberg said.
Perez-Gomez has been out on a $75,000 following his arrest.
Court records show he entered into a negotiated plea deal with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office last month.
Perez-Gomez pleaded guilty to one count of reckless discharge of a firearm, a Class 4 felony.
Lake County Judge Patricia Fix accepted the plea deal and sentenced Perez-Gomez to 24 months of probation and 12 months of periodic imprisonment in the Lake County Jail.
Perez-Gomez was ordered not to consume alcohol or cannabis and not to possess any dangerous weapons.