5 Chicago cops hurt when 2 squad cars collide during West Side pursuit

Five Chicago police officers were hurt Thursday when two CPD vehicles crashed into each other during a pursuit in East Garfield Park on the West Side.

The officers were pursuing a car wanted in a shooting when the two police vehicles collided about 10:30 a.m. at Jackson Boulevard and Francisco Avenue, according to Chicago police and fire officials.

Photos show an unmarked squad car crashed through a fence and into a tree on the lawn of the John Calhoun North Elementary School.

Police initially said two of the officers were seriously hurt, but later said all of their injuries were not life-threatening. They were taken to Stroger and Mt. Sinai hospitals, and only one of them needed to be moved with a stretcher.

The officers were pursuing a stolen vehicle in connection to a shooting reported at 10:19 a.m. near Drake Avenue and Franklin Boulevard, police spokesman Zeyad Matlock said in a news conference.

Two people were inside a car when a male approached them and opened fire, police said. The male fled down an alley and got into a vehicle that took off.

That vehicle was found later abandoned in the 2600 block of West Adams Street with an extended magazine inside, police said. No arrests have been made.