Evanston Woman Killed In Hit-And-Run Crash During Police Pursuit

CHICAGO — An Evanston woman died Sunday from injuries she suffered in a hit-and-run crash that followed a gunfight and police chase on Chicago's North Side, authorities said.

Around 3 a.m., a marked Chicago Police Department K9 officer heard gunshots and saw muzzle flashes come from a Toyota as he was stopped at a traffic light on Irving Park Road headed west from Damen Avenue, police said.

People inside another car, described only as a black sedan, were also thought to have been involved in the gunfight, according to police, who are reviewing video of the incident.

The officer turned on emergency lights and began to follow the Camry, which fled and ran the red light at Irving Park and Western Avenue and struck a northbound Nissan.

Janelle Gardiner, 37, a passenger in the Nissan, was ejected from the SUV, according to Chicago police and the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.

Gardiner was rushed to Illinois Masonic Hospital and pronounced dead less than an hour later. Police said the driver did not suffer any serious injuries.

Following the crash, the Toyota's occupants got out and fled the scene on foot. Police said they later found an unspecified weapon in the car. The other car suspected of involvement in the gunfight drove away, and no one was in custody as of Tuesday.

Gardiner's family told reporters that she had been riding home after attending a concert at Lincoln Hall with her sister on the night of her death. Her sister told WLS-TV that she and Gardiner were riding in separate cars on their way back to Evanston after having a great night at an Arlo Parks concert, while her mother told WGN-TV that she did not understand how everyone in the Toyota was able to escape after the crash.

"I never thought that when she got in the car it would be my last time seeing her," Gardiner's sister said. "But she was happy, and I have to find peace in that."