Driver Crashes At Touhy Avenue After Shots Are Fired At Car On Edens Expressway; Lanes Shut Down For Hours
By Sabrina Franza
LINCOLNWOOD, Ill. (CBS) -- Just in time for the evening commute, all lanes of the Edens Expressway reopened late Thursday after gunfire shut down an exit for hours.
CBS 2's Sabrina Franza spoke with the victim off camera. He was thankfully physically fine, but shaken up.
At 11:30 a.m., Illinois State Police were called to the northbound Edens at Touhy Avenue for a reported shooting.
The victim, a 34-year-old man from Skokie who did not go on camera, told CBS 2 he was on his way home from HVAC school and was getting off the expressway on Touhy Avenue when shots were fired at his car. He earlier said the gunfire started at Peterson Avenue.
Video showed a chaotic escape by the driver of an Audi sport-utility vehicle who tried to flee the scene.
"He tried to make a U-turn because the police was there already," said witness Rodolfo Bonjoc. "He tried to avoid it, so he went south."
Bonjoc lives across the street.
"Every accident, they come here to watch our CCTV," he said.
Bonjoc said lately, police have been knocking on his door more and more often.
"Today it's twice," he said.
Police told us there have been nine shootings just this year so far along Chicagoland expressways. Last year, there were 264.
Following the gunfire, the victim's car spiraled out of control. What was left of it was towed from the exit ramp.
Chopper 2 caught the congestion caused by the investigation. Late Thursday afternoon, state police were still canvassing for evidence.
All northbound lanes of the Edens were shut down following the gunfire.
Lincolnwood Police said the Touhy Avenue exit on the Edens Expressway was also closed after the shooting, along with Cicero Avenue between Touhy and Pratt avenues.
All lanes of the Edens were reopened around 2:15 p.m. while police searched for the suspect. The ramp and Cicero Avenue also later reopened.