1 Shot In Apparent 'Road Rage' Incident In Oak Lawn: Chief

OAK LAWN, IL — A man in his 40s was shot in Oak Lawn Tuesday evening during an altercation with another driver on Cicero Avenue, Oak Lawn police said.

Just after 6 p.m., Oak Lawn Police Chief Dan Vittorio said officers responded to a call of shots fired. Two patrol cars were in the area and the officers apparently heard the shots. When officers arrived at the scene on the northwest corner of 107th Street and Cicero Avenue, they found a badly bleeding man on the ground in a parking lot.

“What we have gathered so far, this was a road rage incident that started at 105th Street and Cicero Avenue [in the southbound lanes],” Vittorio told village board members. “Words were exchanged."

The driver of a white SUV pulled into the parking lot at 106th place, while the other man pulled off Cicero at 107th Street. As the SUV drove past, the man got out of his truck and started approaching the SUV, the police chief said.

“More words were exchanged,” Vittorio said. “The offender pulled into what we think is the Fannie May lot and shot our victim twice and took off southbound on Cicero.”

The injured man was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where he was rushed into surgery. His condition is unknown.

Other Oak Lawn police units were in the area. Undercover officers and Alsip police tried to stop the SUV, along with Alsip police. A police chase ensued, and the SUV driver ended up on I-294 southbound. Vittorio said the vehicle was clocked at speeds in excess of 100mph.

The driver of the white SUV is described as a black male in his 30s, around 5-feet-7- inches, and weighing 150 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt. Police said the man was driving a white 2017-2019 Chevrolet Tahoe that was clocked at speeds in excess of 100mph on I-294 at 147th Street.

A witness said she was coming out of Walgreens at 106th Street and Cicero, where an Oak Lawn patrol car also happened to be parked in the Walgreens lot.

“We heard pop, pop, pop,” the witness told Patch. “The officer immediately took off and was at the scene within 30 seconds.”

The cause of the altercation appears to be a road rage incident, but has not been confirmed because police are still waiting to interview the injured driver.

This story will be updated when more information becomes available.