Woman Dead After Dragging Officer With Car Before Crashing Into Business In Dolton; Shots Fired By Police
DOLTON, Ill. (CBS) -- A 19-year-old woman is dead and a Dolton police officer was in serious condition Tuesday afternoon, after a wild confrontation in the parking lot of a drive-through in Dolton hours earlier.
Police said officers fired shots at a woman after she drove off dragging an officer a block down the street. As CBS 2's Jackie Kostek reported, it all ended with a car through the wall of a local business.
Crews were out all day boarding up the windows of the Compleat Cyclist bike shop, at 703 E. Sibley Blvd. in Dolton. Tire marks were still visible from where the woman swerved off the street and straight through the wall, all while dragging a police officer.
The woman is dead, that police officer is in serious condition, and the business owner is left with about $100,000 worth in damage.
"I was feeling like it was, there was tornado kind of consequences," said Howard Pence.
Pence said he is used to noise living on a state road, but overnight, "This one was a little bit more forceful."
Around 1 a.m., a car blew through several layers of cinderblock and into the Compleat Cyclist - Pence's longtime family business where he also lives. It all stemmed from a confrontation that started in a fast-food drive-through just down the block.
Employees at Baba's Famous Steak & Lemonade restaurant called police after a woman was "acting irrationally" at the drive-thru window, located at Oakley Avenue and Sibley Boulevard, around 1 a.m. The restaurant was closed at the time, and the woman apparently was upset that she couldn't receive service, according to village spokesman Sean Howard.
Dolton police said the woman had a gun on her, but Illinois State Police have not confirmed that.
Howard said when police showed up, they asked the woman and a male passenger to get out of the car. The passenger got out, but police said the woman refused.
Surveillance video obtained by CBS 2 late Tuesday shows an officer on the passenger side bend into the front seat to try to get the driver out of the car as she speeds off, dragging him with her.
Howard said the woman was heading toward the other officer, when that officer fired at least three shots into the car – which hit the woman.
"The officer saw the car as a weapon," Howard said.
The woman kept driving and hit a squad car. Surveillance video from a nearby home shows the car speed down the block and right into Pence's home.
Pence called 911.
"Well, there's a car in my house," he said he reported.
He walked out to find the officer lying on the sidewalk.
"He looked as if he wasn't able to get up on his own; that he was in pain; a lot of pain," Pence said.
The woman was pronounced dead. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office identified her as Alexis Wilson.
Dolton police said the officer who was dragged remained in serious condition Tuesday night.
As for Pence, he said he will remain open to appointments while he rebuilds. Left with six-figure damage, he said he is just glad he wasn't part of what he calls a "painful episode."
"This is not painful," he said. "That's what insurance is for."
The officer who fired the shots was also injured, but was doing OK Tuesday. The other officer was in serious condition late Tuesday, and police say he's not going to be able to leave the hospital any time soon.
Officials said there is body camera video of the incident. Illinois State Police are investigating.