A roadside feud on the Stevenson Expressway has ended with a 15-year prison term for a Chicago man, nearly four years after a rolling burst of gunfire left a woman critically wounded and a driver shot in the head.
The man was sentenced on July 19, 2026, after pleading guilty to possessing a machine gun that investigators recovered following the highway shootout. Cook County Judge Steven Watkins handed down the 15-year term and credited him with 1,493 days already served in the Cook County Jail. The 24-year-old driver in the incident suffered a gunshot wound to the head and sustained serious injuries.
What Happened On The Stevenson
Prosecutors say the confrontation began on August 4, 2022, when an off-duty Chicago police officer honked at a car that did not move. The two vehicles then jockeyed for position as they headed onto the Stevenson Expressway.
According to ABC7 Chicago, someone in the other car allegedly flashed a bright green laser at the officer before shots were exchanged on the inbound lanes. The driver later crashed into a cement barrier near Archer Avenue and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition.
Weapons And Evidence
Investigators recovered a Glock 17 that had been modified to fire automatically and equipped with a green laser sight. Prosecutors said shell casings were found near the wreck, indicating a high-rate exchange of gunfire.
Early coverage of the arrest reported that the handgun had been altered with an illegal auto-fire switch and that the passenger, David Abarca, initially denied possessing a firearm, according to FOX 32 Chicago. Witnesses and some video from the scene showed multiple rounds being fired during the clash.
Sentence And Background
Prosecutors and court records identify the passenger as 26-year-old Abarca, who pleaded guilty to possessing a machine gun in a vehicle. In exchange, other attempted-murder and weapons counts were dropped, and Judge Watkins imposed a 15-year sentence with credit for 1,493 days already served, according to CWB Chicago.
Prosecutors told the court that investigators recovered the modified handgun and 23 shell casings about 15 feet from the crashed vehicle. CPD’s now-dismantled ShotSpotter system logged 23 rounds of fully automatic fire during the incident. Court records also show Abarca had juvenile adjudications in 2017 for unlawful weapon possession and in 2018 for armed robbery.
Aftermath And Oversight
The shooting set off public outcry and led to a lawsuit from the wounded woman’s family, who alleged the off-duty officer fired first. Those claims surfaced while she remained hospitalized, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability and the Illinois State Police both reviewed the officer’s use of force. Officials have said the off-duty officer returned fire during the exchange, a detail included in earlier coverage by ABC7 Chicago.
