Three Cops Hurt After Man Steals Cab, Hits 2 Police Cars
Updated 2:35 p.m. 12/19/11
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Three Chicago police officers were recovering, after a car thief went on a wild ride Sunday morning through the Gold Coast neighborhood.
WBBM Newsradio's Bernie Tafoya reports around 7:30 a.m. Sunday, a cab driver stopped for a cup of coffee at a Starbucks at Division and Dearborn streets.
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While the cabbie inside, a thief stole his taxi and, then ran a red light at Division and State streets, and hit a police Mass Transit Unit squad car a few blocks south at State and Walton streets. An officer in the car suffered non life-threatening injuries and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
The thief kept going after hitting the squad car, and the cab company used the car's GPS system to help police track the taxi.
Police caught up with the car thief at Goethe and Stone streets, where he jumped out of the cab, leaving it in gear. The taxi kept rolling and hit the police car that was chasing it.
The officer in the squad car and other police officers chased the suspect on foot and arrested him in the 1200 block of North Astor Street at about 8 a.m. Sunday.
Two officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries durin the pursuit, and at least one was taken to Northwestern.
The alleged thief, Cortez Carter, 30, of Chicago was later charged with a variety of charges, including possession of stolen motor vehicle, reckless driving and driving without a license.
On Monday, Carter was ordered held on $200,000 bond and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for Jan. 10.
