Judge to hand down sentence on Lisle road rage shooter

A Barlett man admitted Tuesday that he exercised poor judgment but maintained he was protecting his family last March when he opened fire on another driver during a traffic altercation near Lisle.

A DuPage County judge will decide Wednesday morning how he will be punished.

Vaughn Atkins, 42, formerly of South Elgin, pleaded guilty last month to one count of aggravated discharge of a firearm. Judge Kathryn Creswell heard several hours of testimony during Tuesday's sentencing hearing and said she needed more time to review video recordings of Atkins' arrest before ruling.

Prosecutors said the victim, Michael Ingram, was traveling south about 5:45 p.m. March 21 on I-355 just north of Ogden Avenue when he switched lanes and cut off Atkins, forcing his vehicle to the shoulder. Atkins was traveling to a Chicago youth basketball tournament at the time with his wife, 15-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter.

Atkins then caught up with and pulled his vehicle alongside the driver's side of Ingram's SUV, told his wife and children to "get down," pointed a handgun at Ingram and pulled the trigger, hitting Ingram's vehicle in the driver's side rear passenger door. He then left the tollway at 75th Street and turned to head back north on I-355 prosecutors said.

Atkins, a youth basketball coach and community volunteer in the South Elgin community where his family once lived, was arrested March 24 at his home.

Assistant State's Attorney Demetri Demopoulos said Atkins has an explosive and violent temper that could only be addressed with a four-year prison sentence.

"(Atkins) lacks true insight into the severity of his crime," Demopoulos said. "He squeezed off a round to scare (Ingram) because he was mad that (Ingram) cut him off in traffic."

Atkins' wife, Jessica Atkins, testified Tuesday that Ingram first attempted to push their car off the road in bumper-to-bumper traffic near the I-88 overpass and later tried again, at a higher speed, north of 75th Street.

Jessica Atkins said she saw Ingram speeding up to her vehicle in her passenger side mirror and told her husband "He's coming. He's coming."

"He said he saw (Ingram) and said 'Everyone get down. He might have a gun,'" Jessica Atkins said. "I got down and next thing I knew, I heard a gun go off. I thought (Ingram) was shooting at us."

Atkins said she never saw a gun during the shooting and did not know her husband had the gun in the car.

Demopoulos, however, said Jessica Atkins was seen pushing the barrel of the gun away from her face as the shot was fired.

Atkins' attorney, Jack Donahue, maintained Atkins "is not some wanton mad man" and pleaded with Creswell to impose a sentence of probation, which would keep the stay-at-home dad active in his children's lives.

"Were his actions a danger to public safety? No question. Did his actions show a great lack of judgment? No question," Donahue said. "But (Atkins) felt as if he had no choice than to fire a shot at the vehicle that attempted to run his family off the road."

Atkins also apologized to the judge for his actions and to his family for putting them through the past several months of court proceedings.

"I was looking at him and I looked at the wall," Atkins said. "I was only thinking about protecting my family and in doing so I ignored the public safety and I understand that."

Creswell will sentence Atkins at 9 a.m. in courtroom 4012.