1 killed, 13 injured when 2 cars, CTA bus crash on Chicago's South Side
CHICAGO (CBS) -- One person was killed and 13 other people were injured Wednesday evening when a stolen car slammed into another car and a CTA bus in the Washington Park neighborhood.
The crash was preceded by a possible police pursuit, though police are not using the word "chase" to describe what happened.
The crash happened around 7 p.m. at 60th and State streets. The Chicago Transit Authority said a No. 59 59th/61st Street bus was heading south on State Street approaching 60th Street when the two cars collided—and then both hit the bus.
Police said the suspects behind the deadly crash were already speeding when officers spotted them veering into oncoming traffic near 68th and State streets.
Police said officers "followed" the car a mile north to 60th and State streets, where it hit another car and a CTA bus.
The Chicago Fire Department called an EMS Plan 2, which sends 10 ambulances to the scene.
Police said the car responsible for the crash had been reported stolen. Four guns were found inside.
The driver of the first car that was hit by the stolen vehicle was rushed to the hospital, where they later died. Three people who were in the stolen car were taken to area hospitals in serious-to-critical condition.
Ten others who were on the CTA bus were taken to area hospitals in good condition.
The Fire Department showed photos of a white Jeep Cherokee that was completely demolished in the front and another car that was totaled beyond recognition.
Both the No. 59 bus and the No. 29 State Street bus were rerouted for some time after the crash.
Expert outlines restrictions on police pursuits
"The consequences can be catastrophic to people who just happen to be on the same road, who are on an adjoining sidewalk, or even—as we saw in this case—on a bus," said David Harris, a law professor at the University of Pittsburgh.
Harris, a policing expert, said the fact that four guns were recovered from the car that turned out to be stolen is significant in the decision to follow the vehicle. But traffic offenses and theft of a car alone aren't enough, according to Chicago Police Department policy.
"The people or person in the fleeing car present some real danger," Harris said. "They have to be wanted for a dangerous crime."
Police radio traffic does not shed any light on the moments right before the crash when police started following the car.
Harris said Chicago is one of many cities nationwide to recently add caveats to its pursuit policies.
Last year, the Community Commission on Public Safety and Accountability raised concerns that restrictions allow offenders to get away—and contributed heavily to a citywide surge in robberies.
"Yes, we don't want bad guys to flee from the police, but at the cost of civilian lives? Not as clear," Harris said, "and that's what we're trying to come to grips with."
CPD's vehicle pursuit policy was revised in 2020 after a crash involving police killed a woman in Lakeview. The CPD said it continues to investigate the incident in Washington Park Wednesday night.