Crime & Safety
Chicago Cop Shoots Driver Who Pins Him Into Another Car: Police
The incident Wednesday on the West Side marks tne 2nd consecutive day a CPD officer has been hit by a car while on duty.
CHICAGO, IL — A driver accused of fleeing Chicago police in a possibly stolen car was shot multiple times by an officer who became pinned to another vehicle during the man's alleged escape attempt Wednesday on the West Side, according to authorities. The wounded driver was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in serious but stable condition, while the officer was taken to Park Ridge's Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in stable condition, suffering a possible broken leg from the incident, a statement from Chicago police said.
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Tactical officers were on patrol at about 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, May 24, in the 1600 block of North LeClaire Avenue in the Austin neighborhood when they conducted a follow-up investigation on a car they suspected might have been stolen the previous day, police said. As the officers approached the vehicle, the driver allegedly tried to escape down an alley, hitting a fence before crashing into another car in the alley.
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The officers again approached the driver's vehicle, and again, the driver allegedly tried to escape the scene, colliding with the same car he had hit earlier, according to police. This time, however, one of the officers became pinned against the second car in the alley, police said. The pinned-in officer then opened fire on the driver, hitting him multiple times, the police's statement said.
RELATED: Chicago Cop Hit By Car Fleeing Traffic Stop; Ensuing Chase Injures Another Person
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The shooting now is being investigated by the Independent Police Review Authority, and the officer will be placed on 30-day administrative leave per department policy. Police did not say if charges have been filed against the driver.
Wednesday's incident marks the second time in as many days that a Chicago police officer has been hit by a car while on duty. On Tuesday, an officer was hurt when he was struck during a traffic stop on the South Side that led to a chase that left another person injured by the same vehicle.
UPDATED (7:12 p.m. Wednesday, May 24)
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