Angelo Navarro | DuPage County State's Attorney's Office
ELMHURST, Ill. - A Melrose Park man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for shooting another driver in DuPage County more than eight years ago.
What we know:
Angelo Navarro, 31, was sentenced Monday after being found guilty of aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated discharge of a firearm following a bench trial last September.
The charges stem from an Oct. 28, 2017 road rage incident near York Road and Diversey Avenue in Elmhurst. Police responding to a crash call found a vehicle with a shattered driver's side window and the driver bleeding from the face.
The victim was taken to a hospital where he underwent surgery after being shot in the left cheek with the bullet exiting through the right cheek.
"Mr. Navarro’s incredible display of complete disregard for public safety will cost him eighteen years of his life behind bars," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement."In addition to shooting at another motorist, his actions not only endangered the life of the passengers in his vehicle, but also the lives of the motoring public."
Navarro was initially charged in 2017 and later convicted by a jury in 2020, but a judge granted a new trial after finding the verdicts legally inconsistent. Following his 2025 bench trial conviction, Navarro’s pretrial release was revoked and he has remained in custody at the DuPage County Jail.
Navarro is required to serve 85% of his sentence before being eligible for parole.
The Source: The information in this report came from the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.