Four people, including two Chicago police officers, were hospitalized Monday night after a CPD vehicle running with its lights and sirens on collided with a sedan on the city's Southwest Side. Both vehicles suffered significant damage, and police have released few details about how the crash unfolded.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the crash happened shortly before 7 p.m. in the 6700 block of South California Avenue. The two officers suffered only minor injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital in good condition, the paper reported. ABC7 Chicago, which first reported on the crash, places the location near South California Avenue and West Marquette Road in Marquette Park, citing police, while the Sun-Times identifies the surrounding area as Chicago Lawn — the two outlets offer differing neighborhood descriptions for the same incident.
Per ABC7 Chicago, the CPD vehicle was traveling eastbound on Marquette Road with its emergency equipment activated when it collided with a black sedan that had been heading southbound on California Avenue. The civilian driver, a man, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in good condition, while the passenger, a woman, was transported to the same hospital in fair condition, the outlet reported.
No Word Yet on Fault
Police released no other details about the crash, including which driver was at fault, the Sun-Times reported in its account of the collision. No additional injuries were reported beyond the four people hospitalized, according to the same ABC7 report. Police have not said whether any citations were issued or whether the crash remains under investigation.
The station's report also noted that a separate crash involving a CPD vehicle prompted a large police response in Hermosa the same Monday night, though details on that incident were not included.
A Pattern of CPD Crash Injuries
Collisions involving Chicago police vehicles responding to calls have hospitalized officers and civilians alike in recent years. In September 2023, two CPD officers were among four people hospitalized after a driver ran a stop sign in West Lawn, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. In a separate incident in Marquette Park, two officers were seriously injured when their unmarked car swerved to avoid another vehicle and struck a tree while they were responding to a report of a stolen vehicle, ABC7 Chicago reported.
Another crash in Washington Park left three officers, a child, and another person injured after an unmarked squad car responding to a call about a person with a gun collided with a white sedan near 63rd Street and Indiana Avenue, ABC7 Chicago separately reported.
Monday's crash adds to that list, though the full circumstances — including fault and any resulting investigation — remain unclear. Police have not released further updates since the initial reports.
