Early Saturday in the Loop, a marked Chicago Police Department squad car and a black SUV collided, sending two officers and two people from the SUV to area hospitals, police said. The crash happened a little before 5 a.m. at South Wabash Avenue and Ida B. Wells Drive after the SUV allegedly failed to obey a traffic signal and struck the patrol car. Officers said the driver tried to run away on foot before being taken into custody. All four people taken to the hospital were reported in non-life-threatening condition.
Crash details and injuries
According to CBS Chicago, the two officers were transported to a local hospital and listed in good condition. The 26-year-old SUV driver and one passenger were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, also in good condition, while a second passenger refused EMS treatment at the scene. Police said the collision occurred in the 500 block of South Wabash, and emergency crews remained on scene through the early-morning response.
Driver arrested after attempt to flee
Fox 32 Chicago reported that the driver, a 26-year-old man, suffered a cut to his head and was taken to Northwestern in good condition after allegedly trying to flee on foot and being apprehended by officers. A preliminary investigation by the Chicago Police Department found that the SUV did not obey a traffic signal before the crash. Charges are pending, and detectives with the Area Detectives Division are leading the investigation.
A familiar pattern
The wreck is the latest in a run of incidents that have left marked CPD vehicles banged up. Hoodline previously covered a Lower Wacker collision and a Gage Park crash that also injured officers, underscoring how squad-car crashes have been popping up in different neighborhoods as investigators sort out driver behavior and other potential factors.
What investigators say
The Chicago Police Department said charges are pending and detectives are still investigating the circumstances of the collision, according to Fox 32 Chicago. Authorities have not yet released the driver’s name or the specific counts he could face, and prosecutors are expected to decide on formal charges once investigators complete their work.
