Police Dash-Cam Video Shows Shots Fired at Officers in Carjacking Chase

CHICAGO, IL — Chicago police released dash-cam video of a carjacking suspect allegedly shooting at a squad car and grazing an officer in the face, followed by a subsequent car chase where police returned the suspect’s fire on the South Side.

Charges were brought against Charles Lawson, a 24-year-old convicted felon currently on parole for armed robbery. Lawson was charged with four counts of attempted murder, aggravated battery, possession of a stolen vehicle, aggravated hijacking and aggravated fleeing and eluding.

The incident unfolded around 10 p.m. Tuesday in Chicago’s Washington Heights neighborhood, when officers tried to curb a vehicle that had been reported stolen earlier in a carjacking, police said.

The first video shows officers following the car in the 600 block of West 100th Place. A gun is fired at the squad car, injuring an officer who can be heard saying, “I’m hit,” and making references to shattered glass.

Video provided by Chicago Police Department

In the second video, officers from another unit return the alleged carjacker’s fire during a tense chase. The car driven by the suspect crashes, and a man, later identified as Lawson, tumbles out of the vehicle and lays down on his stomach in the street. He was not injured when officers from the 22nd and 25th police districts fired back at him, police said.

Video provide by Chicago Police Department

During a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon, CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Lawson admitted to carjacking the vehicle when he was taken into police custody about two miles away from where he was first confronted by police.

• RELATED: Carjacking Suspect Grazes Cop in Face During Shootout: Police

“There are multiple offenders who think it’s OK to shoot at police with an illegal gun from a car that he stole at gunpoint and planned to shoot another person while you’re on parole,” the police superintendent said. “What does that say about say about their fear of being punished for their actions? What it says to me is that we need to come together to solve this and to put these individuals on notice that you will be held accountable for the crimes you commit.”

Johnson said the injured cop is expected to make a full recovery. The officer is the same cop who escorted an elderly woman home a few weeks ago in the same neighborhood where he was shot Tuesday evening, when she appeared disoriented in the street. He and another officer bought her groceries when they realized she had no food in the house.

“It shows how quickly an officer’s life can change,” the superintendent said. “The same guys commit the same crimes over and over again … this guy clearly doesn’t believe we’re serious. Police officers face this kind of thing every single day.”

The police dash-cam videos were released as part of the ongoing criminal investigation. The Independent Police Review Authority is also conducting a separate and independent use-of-force investigation to determine if officers acted within police policy when they returned fire.

follow our Crime page on Facebook