Aurora man sentenced to prison for role in gang-related shooting
A 20-year-old man was sentenced to seven years in prison after admitting this week to his role in shooting into an Aurora home on the city's near southeast side during a gang dispute.
Erik M. Arias, of the 600 block of South Fourth Street in Aurora, pleaded guilty Wednesday to an attempted armed violence charge stemming from the Oct. 13, 2018, shooting, according to Kane County court records.
Charges of armed violence, aggravated discharge of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon were dismissed as part of his guilty plea.
According to authorities, police called the morning of Oct. 13 to the area of South Fourth Street and Marion Avenue learned that two people ran into Arias' residence after shooting into a neighboring house.
Police surrounded the house and arrested Arias and Daniel Gaytan, 22, of the 400 block of Linden Avenue. Authorities obtained a search warrant for the house and seized three guns and ammunition, said police.
Along with the prison time, Arias was ordered to pay $1,000 restitution.
His sentence mirrors that for Gaytan, who pleaded guilty to attempted armed violence in July and was sentenced to seven years in prison and $1,000 restitution, records show.
Under state law, Arias can have his sentence cut in half for good behavior in prison. He gets credit for nearly 13 months served at the Kane County jail while being held on bail while the case was pending.