12-year term for Aurora 'vigilante' who shot at SUV
An Aurora woman received a 12-year prison term Thursday for firing two shots at a sport utility vehicle full of teens, grazing one, after the woman's relative got into a fight at school in August 2010.
Anieka Johnson, 34, must serve 85 percent, or a little more than 10 years, of the sentence for aggravated battery with firearm that was imposed by Kane County Judge James Hallock.
“It's necessary to deter others in the community to having this type of response with firearms,” he said.
During a four-day trial in May, prosecutors argued that Johnson decided to become a “vigilante” on Aug. 30, 2010, after learning her cousin's daughter was punched in a fight at school.
Prosecutors argued that Johnson used her Ford WinStar to chase and ram a Ford Explorer on residential streets on Aurora's West side. After a chase, Johnson fired two shots at the vehicle — filled with eight teenagers — from close range before cutting off the SUV and causing both vehicles to crash. One shot grazed the chest of a then-13-year-old girl sitting in the rear of the SUV.
“She made the decision to fire the gun — not once, but twice — on a city street,” said Kane County Assistant State's Attorney Bill Engerman, who asked for a 16-year sentence from Hallock.
“She hasn't learned,” Engerman continued. “She's a risk to go out and do this again. She still clings to the notion that what she did was the proper course of action.”
During the trial, Johnson testified that she fired shots at the SUV's tires and feared for her life during the chase, in which she said the SUV was chasing her.
Thursday, she gave a tearful apology to the court and “everyone involved” in the case. She also apologized to her family for her actions.
Defense attorney Dan Collins called five of Johnson's relatives to testify that she is a calm, nonviolent person who helps by taking her grandfather to the doctor.
Collins said Johnson exhibited extremely poor judgment, but no one was seriously injured and his client had no previous convictions or even a traffic ticket.
“I have 34 years of a law abiding life,” Collins said, referring to Johnson.