A Downers Grove area man pleaded guilty Friday to a felony gun charge filed after a February incident during which Darien police said he fired a shot at a stranded motorist. 

John C. Kavan, 71, admitted to aggravated discharge of a firearm in the direction of another person or occupied vehicle, the most serious of four charges he faced. 

Kavan said in a written statement he gave to Darien police in February that he fired the gun “foolishly.” The prosecution read portions of the statement during Friday’s hearing. 

“I cannot tell you why I did that because (the driver) posed no immediate threat to me,” the statement continued.

Kavan, of the 500 block of Redondo Drive, confronted a driver whose car had run out of gas near the intersection of Bailey Road and Greenbriar Lane while he was picking up his cousin, Darien Police Chief Ernest Brown said at a Feb. 21 City Council meeting.

The driver’s cousin and aunt brought some gas to the car, but it wasn’t enough to get it going, Brown said. While the driver was waiting for his cousin to return with more, Brown said Kavan challenged him to start the car. 

The driver succeeded in starting the car and pulled away as Kavan fired a .38 caliber revolver, shattering the car’s back window, according to a Darien Police Department release. Police recovered the bullet from the car’s ceiling.

Judge Kathryn E. Creswell dismissed the other three charges against Kavan, which included reckless discharge of a firearm, aggravated assault – discharge of a firearm from a motor vehicle and intimidation – physical harm. 

Kavan had pleaded not guilty to all charges during his March arraignment. 

He will return to court for a pre-sentence hearing June 26 to discuss whether a previous arrest that was expunged from his record is admissible during sentencing, which is scheduled for 9 a.m. July 13. 

Kavan could face anywhere from four to 15 years in prison, with two years mandatory supervision upon his release, and a fine of up to $25,000.