A 9-month-old baby, two Chicago police officers and a 26-year-old woman were sent to the hospital Tuesday morning after a violent collision in the city’s West Chatham neighborhood. The crash happened at about 11:17 a.m. at the intersection of West 87th Street and South State Street, when a marked Chicago Police Department squad car heading north reportedly struck a Volkswagen SUV that was traveling east on West 87th.
Video from the scene showed the Volkswagen flipped onto a median, with airbags deployed in both vehicles and debris scattered across the intersection. In the middle of the wreckage, witness footage also appeared to capture a toy rocket, a small but jarring glimpse of how suddenly everyday life can be upended.
What officials say
According to NBC Chicago, video captured by an NBC photographer showed the squad car with a crushed hood and the SUV overturned on the median. NBC reported that a Chicago Police Department media representative, when pressed on whether the squad car had its lights or sirens on, whether any citations were issued, or whether the crash is under investigation, replied that “there is no updated information.”
How these incidents are reviewed
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability states that serious officer-involved incidents, particularly shootings and other uses of force, can face independent review when COPA opens an investigation. The Chicago Police Department’s General Order G03-03-01, listed in the department’s directives, outlines rules for emergency vehicle operations and describes a “balancing test” that weighs “the necessity to immediately apprehend the fleeing suspect” against “the level of inherent danger created by a motor vehicle pursuit.” The directive also instructs supervisors to consider ending a pursuit if a department vehicle is involved in a crash.
As of the time of reporting, officials had not released details about the conditions of those injured or any potential citations. NBC Chicago reported that “no additional information was immediately available.” We will continue to watch for official updates and will follow up as police or city investigators release further details.
