Crime & Safety
Aurora Man Shot By Police To Serve 15 Years In Prison
Giovanni Padilla pleaded guilty to several felonies nearly two years after an Aurora police officer shot him when he aimed a gun at them.
![An Aurora man was recently sentenced to serve 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to armed violence and aggravated assault of a peace officer.](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/24075954/20200819/024523/styles/patch_image/public/jail-shutterstock___19144409993.jpg)
AURORA, IL — A man who was shot by Aurora police during a chase in October 2018 was recently sentenced to serve 15 years in prison. Giovanni Padilla, 28, pleaded guilty Aug. 12 to armed violence and aggravated assault on a peace officer in exchange for the 15-year sentence, according to Kane County prosecutors.
An Aurora police officer shot Padilla in the arm Oct. 22, 2018, after a drug deal went wrong, police said at the time.
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Kane County Assistant State’s Attorney William Engerman said in a news release that Padilla and two others arranged to buy marijuana that day from a person who lived in the 1100 block of Farnsworth Avenue. The three men went to the home later that day with handguns, intending to rob the man, Engerman said.
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An officer from the Aurora Police Department tried to stop Padilla shortly after he left the man’s home, police said in 2018. Padilla ran away through a parking lot near the intersection of Farnsworth Avenue and East Indian Trail, where he dropped something that the officer thought was a gun, police said.
Padilla then picked up the gun and ran, before getting into a “shooting stance” and aiming at the officer, police said. The officer shot four times at Padilla, hitting him once in the arm, as previously reported.
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The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office ruled in December 2018 that the officer, who was not named, was justified in shooting Padilla.
Police said they found a loaded .380-caliber handgun with six bullets — including one in the chamber — and 6 ounces of marijuana near Padilla when they arrested him. Padilla was treated that night at a local hospital and was later charged with a slew of felonies, including armed violence, armed robbery with a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, among other charges.
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Padilla will receive credit for serving 657 days in Kane County jail between his arrest and his sentencing, prosecutors said.
Michael Paige, of Montgomery, and Tyrone Smith, of Chicago, was also arrested Oct. 22, 2018, in connection with the alleged robbery. Both were charged with armed robbery, armed violence, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and possession of a controlled substance, according to court records.
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