Dylan Davidson said he shot in self-defense. Prosecutors said the Mendota incident was a drive-by shooting. A La Salle County jury will have to settle that.

But arguing self-defense wasn’t enough for Davidson to persuade a judge Wednesday to cut him loose from La Salle County Jail in time for New Year’s Day.

Davidson, 23, of rural Mendota, has been detained since September on three felony charges led by aggravated discharge of a firearm, a Class 1 felony carrying four to 15 years in prison.

Prosecutors also charged him with two Class 4 felonies (range: one to three years) for allegedly possessing cocaine and a loaded gun with no concealed carry permit.

Chicago defense attorney David Drwencke appeared Wednesday in La Salle County Circuit Court and asked Circuit Judge Michelle A. Vescogni to reconsider granting Davidson pre-trial release.

To hear Drwencke tell it, Davidson’s two accusers – “I’m not going to use the word ‘victim’ in this case,” he said – gave divergent stories to police after the Sept. 25 shooting at Fourth Avenue and Sixth Street in Mendota. Drwencke said they made it sound as if they simply wanted a word with Davidson.

In fact, Drwencke said, the complainants pursued Davidson’s vehicle across town and then bumped his vehicle. Only then did Davidson, fearing for his safety, fire the weapon.

“Their statement that they wanted to talk to my client is one of the most laughable explanations for following him across town and bumping his vehicle,” Drwencke said, terming their actions “road rage.”

In response, prosecutor Laura Hall said the state didn’t rely only on the victims’ statements but on home surveillance that substantially corroborated their allegations. Even if Davidson has grounds to argue self-defense, there was a risk to the public at large that justified his being jailed.

“He’s got no concealed carry permit, he’s got cocaine in the car and he commits a drive-by shooting in a residential area,” Hall said, adding later, “You’ve got risk to an entire neighborhood.”

Vescogni agreed. The judge said she stood by her earlier ruling to detain Davidson and “considered the grave nature of the offense.”

Davidson will next appear Jan. 30.