Five officers injured by driver ramming into police vehicles in North Side chase

Five Chicago police officers were injured Tuesday afternoon while chasing a driver that had struck a bicyclist on the Near North Side.

The driver was in a 2006 Mazda SUV when he struck the cyclist about 2:35 p.m. near North Avenue and Clark Street, according to police.

Police followed the Mazda, which fled north on Lake Shore Drive. While on Lake Shore, the driver of the Mazda slowed down and backed up into the police vehicle that was chasing him, police said.

He kept going north and struck another police vehicle at Lake Shore and Recreation drives, then hit another squad car at Clark and Rosemont Avenue, police said.

Five officers and the cyclist were taken to hospitals with minor injuries. The driver was eventually caught and taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston for treatment.