4 Chicago police officers among 10 injured in crash, shooting: officials
CHICAGO - Four Chicago police officers were injured, three critically, in a crash while pursing suspects wanted for a shooting outside a police station in Woodlawn on Saturday.
Someone fired shots from a black Jeep about 3:30 p.m., striking a 24-year-old man in his thigh and grazing a 28-year-old woman’s buttocks, outside the Grand Cross District police station the 7000 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue, Chicago police said in a statement.
The man and woman were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition. A source told the Sun-Times that both of the people wounded were migrants. The source said it wasn’t clear if the migrants were the targets of the shooting, or if the shooting was targeting migrants.
Migrants outside the police station told FOX 32 News that occupants inside the Jeep drove to the police station and began to randomly shoot at families camped near the sidewalk.
They said the Jeep then sped away, but returned to the station where responding officers in a police SUV spotted the vehicle and began a pursuit. The two vehicles collided a short time later in the 5400 block of South State Street.
Four police officers had to be extricated from their vehicles, according to police. Fire officials said two officers were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition, a third officer was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, and a fourth officer self-transported to a local hospital in an unknown condition.
State Rep. Angie Guerrero-Cuellar released a statement Saturday night confirming one of the officers injured in the crash was her husband.
"Today my husband was one of the responding Chicago police officers injured in the traffic crash in the 5400 block of S. State St.," Guerrero-Cuellar said in the statement.
"We are surrounded by our family and family in blue. I ask that you keep everyone involved in your thoughts and prayers. This is the phone call no family ever wants to receive. Thank you for all the phone calls, text messages, prayers and support."
Four other people who were injured in the crash were in fair to good condition, fire officials said, with three transported to Insight Chicago and another taken to Provident Hospital.
Four people were taken into custody and two handguns were recovered from the suspect's car, police said. Charges are pending and Area One detectives are still investigating.
Those seeking asylum outside the police station told FOX 32 News they’ve been at the location more than two months, but after Saturday's incident, they say it’s unsafe and they’re now desperately trying to relocate into a shelter.
Around 1,000 migrants have been staying temporarily at police stations across the city after seeking asylum in the United States. Many have been loaded on to buses in other states, including Texas, and sent to Chicago.
The Chicago Sun-Times contributed to this report.