A late-night traffic stop on Chicago’s Far South Side ended with two officers in the hospital on Thursday after a driver allegedly resisted, tried to flee and wound up crashing into a ditch. Police said both officers were hospitalized with injuries described as non-life-threatening, and the driver was also taken to a hospital for observation.
According to police, the encounter began around 10:26 p.m. in the 9700 block of South Princeton Avenue, where officers pulled over a 22-year-old man. Investigators say the man resisted arrest, slipped back into his sedan and tried to take off, only to crash into a nearby ditch. Police said the driver then threatened and assaulted the officers before they managed to subdue him and take him into custody. The two officers and the suspect were transported to area hospitals, and charges are pending, according to ABC7 Chicago.
Where It Happened
Police placed the incident in the Washington Heights neighborhood on the Far South Side, along the 9700 block of South Princeton Avenue. Mapping services show Wendell Smith Park located on South Princeton in Washington Heights, which helps pinpoint the area where the stop took place, according to Mapcarta.
Police Account
Officers at the scene reported that the driver “threatened and assaulted the officers” after the crash, before he was restrained and arrested. Authorities said both officers’ injuries were considered non-life-threatening, and the suspect was being monitored at a hospital as part of the investigation. Those details were shared with reporters and law enforcement on site, as reported by ABC7 Chicago.
Local Context
Traffic stops turning tense is not exactly a new storyline on the South Side. Earlier this July in the South Shore neighborhood, a separate traffic stop escalated into a shootout that left two officers and a suspect wounded, according to NBC Chicago. The repeat incidents underscore the risks that can come with what starts as routine enforcement on stretches of the Far South Side.
What’s Next
Police said charges against the 22-year-old driver are pending as investigators continue to process the scene and review what happened. Prosecutors will decide what, if any, charges to file. We will update this story if police or local prosecutors release additional information.
