A Chicago police officer was wounded in a shootout after a driver pinned another officer against their squad car Monday night on the West Side.
The officer suffered a gunshot wound to the left hand and the other officer injured his ankle, police said. A person in the car was seriously wounded in the exchange of gunfire.
The tactical officers had stopped a car near Polk Street and Sacramento Boulevard around 9:15 p.m., Chicago police Supt. David Brown said at a press conference outside Stroger Hospital.
As they walked up to the car, the driver rammed into one of the officers, pinning him against the squad car, Brown said.
Someone in the car opened fire, striking one officer in the left pinky finger. The officers fired back, striking one person who was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in serious to critical condition.
Brown said a second person was arrested, but a police spokesperson later clarified that only the alleged shooter was in custody. Two guns were recovered from the car, police said.
The incident is being investigated by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. The officers involved were placed on routine administrative duties for thirty days.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot released a statement Tuesday morning saying the shooting “again underscores the dangers that our valiant police officers face every day to keep the rest of us safe. I urge the state’s attorney to seek the highest possible charges against this offender, and for the court to keep this violent dangerous individual off the street.”
