5 hurt in crash after vehicle flees police, runs red light in Chicago

At least five people, including a child, were injured in a crash Monday after a driver ran a red light while fleeing a traffic stop in Rogers Park on the North Side.

Officers tried to stop a vehicle for running a stop sign at 10:47 a.m. in the 7200 block of North Touhy Avenue, according to Sgt. Rocco Alioto, a Chicago police spokesman. He said officers did not pursue the vehicle as it drove away from the stop.

The vehicle ran a red light at Ridge, where it slammed into the passenger side of another vehicle in the intersection, police said. The second vehicle flipped over as a result of the crash.

Two adults and a child from the vehicle that flipped were taken to hospitals, according to Alioto and Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Merritt.

The 35-year-old man who was driving was treated and released from Swedish Covenant Hospital, Alioto said. His passengers, a 35-year-old woman and a 2-year-old girl, were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Lurie Children’s Hospital, respectively.

Merritt said the woman and child were listed in critical condition.

The 33-year-old man driving the vehicle that fled from police was treated and released from Swedish Covenant Hospital, while his passenger, a 31-year-old man, was treated and released from Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston, according to police.

They were both initially listed in critical condition, according to fire officials.

Detectives are questioning a person of interest in connection with the crash, police said. A second person of interest was questioned but has since been released.

Area North detectives are investigating.