Several people were injured Sunday afternoon when a vehicle speeding away from a shooting crashed into an SUV in south suburban Park Forest.
Officers responded at 2:42 p.m. to a report of shots fired in the 100 block of Nauvoo Street, according to Park Forest police. The victim, who was walking at the time, was not struck by gunfire and no damage was reported.
Officers spotted a vehicle matching the description of the shooter’s vehicle on Orchard Drive and, while the officer made a U-turn to pursue, the vehicle sped up and turned west onto Sauk Trail, police said. The vehicle eventually crashed into an SUV at Sauk Trail and Minocqua Street, causing the SUV to leave the roadway and strike a tree.
The suspect’s vehicle then crashed into a house in the 300 block of Sauk Trail and the suspects ran away, police said.
The pursuing officers focused on the occupants of the SUV, four adults and “multiple juveniles,” all of whom were taken to hospitals, police said. The driver was critically injured, and one of the juveniles was taken to Hope Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn and stabilized.
“All are expected to survive, and we wish them well on their recovery,” police said in the statement. Several good Samaritans stopped to render aid in the crash.
“The Park Forest Police Department Investigations Unit is actively following leads in this case and the investigation is ongoing,” police said. Anyone with information on the suspects was asked to contact the Park Forest Police Department Investigations Unit at (708) 748-1309.