Police, Suspects Exchange Gunfire On Southwest Side
UPDATED 03/10/11 12:46 p.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Three people are being held after police exchanged gunfire with suspects on the city's Southwest Side early Thursday.
Two men and a woman were arrested after a brief chase when their car crashed at 43rd and Honore streets about 4:30 a.m., police said. The three initially pulled alongside a squad at 47th Street and Western Avenue, then a 22-year-old man inside the vehicle began firing shots at the squad.
The man fired "very bad shots," which did not injure the officers inside, police said.
Officers returned fire but the suspects were not shot during the exchange of gunfire, police News Affairs Officer Robert Perez said.
The three ultimately got out of the vehicle when the car crashed, but were apprehended after a brief chase, police said.
One of the three was injured and taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County in serious condition, Fire Media Affairs spokesman Richard Rosado said.
Charges were pending against the three suspects as of noon and it was unclear whether the squad was targeted.
CBS 2's Kris Habermehl reports as the morning rush hour got underway, Western Boulevard was closed between 47th and 45th streets, and 43rd Street was closed from Western Boulevard to just east of Wood Street.
A message left with the Independent Police Review Authority, which investigates all officer involved shootings, was not returned Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, a police detective was involved in an accident while responding to the incident.
The detective was driving to the scene to help investigate the shooting was injured, when his unmarked squad car he struck several barricades and ended up in a gravel ditch after swerving to avoid a head-on collision with an sport-utility vehicle, Perez said.
The crash occurred about 5:40 a.m. near the intersection of West 37th and Halsted streets, Perez said. The area is under construction and outfitted with numerous barricades and narrowed lanes.
Several semis were also sticking out into the roadway at the time of the crash, Perez said. The squad car was coming around one of the semis when the officer swerved to avoid the head-on collision with an SUV.
The officer, a man in his 40s, suffered minor injuries and was taken to Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in good condition, Perez said. No one else was injured.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
