A couple who led Chicago police on a chase to southwest suburban Lyons, where two officers were wounded, had been driving a car wanted in two murders in another suburb earlier this month.
The officers were shot in the shoulder and in the arm after a third Chicago officer on the scene accidentally fired his gun while struggling with one of the suspects, according to Chicago Police Supt. David Brown.
The injuries were not life-threatening, and the shooting is being investigated by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
The chase started around 9:15 p.m. Wednesday when officers spotted a car in the 1200 block of South Lake Shore Drive that was flagged by license plate reader technology as being wanted in connection with two fatal shootings in South Holland, according to Lyons Police Chief Thomas Herion.
A police helicopter was called to follow the car, which stopped at a Citgo gas station in Lyons. There, officers surrounded the car and there was a struggle with a man and a woman inside, Brown said.
While arresting one of the suspects, an officer who had his handgun drawn accidentally fired once, apparently striking the two other officers, Brown said.
One officer was hit in the shoulder and the other was struck in the arm, Brown said. The bullet likely went through one officer and hit the other. Both officers were taken to MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, where they were treated for “non-life-threatening injuries,” Brown said.
“They seem to be in decent, good condition. But again, we just got to the hospital, doctor’s still treating [them,]” the superintendent said. “The officer that fired the weapon is not injured but obviously it’s very traumatic to accidentally have this happen.”
Dozens of officers gathered outside the emergency room entrance at MacNeal Hospital and remained there until the wounded officers were transferred to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.
“Lucky, grateful, could’ve been worse,” Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara said.
A 28-year-old man and 18-year-old woman were taken into custody. Herion said officers recovered three handgun, 36 pounds of marijuana and $32,000 from the car.
He said police are investigating whether the couple were involved in the South Holland murders of two men, one killed late Oct. 7 and the other early on Oct. 8 just doors from each other. No charges have been filed.
The officer who discharged the gun will be placed on administrative duties for at least 30 days, though Brown said it “could be longer based on the circumstances as we continue to investigate.”
