2 police officers hurt in Cicero crash chasing burglary suspects, officials say; 3 civilians also injured
Two police officers were hurt in a crash early Monday morning in west suburban Cicero, Illinois, while chasing burglary suspects, town officials said.
Officials with the Town of Cicero said at about 4:49 a.m., a special operations unit of the Cicero Police Department that is designated monitor activity related to a recent rash of burglaries targeting gaming businesses found two cars wanted in connection to a burglary in Bellwood.
The officers followed the cars until one of them pulled into a strip mall parking lot at 16th and Cicero, officials said. There is a gaming establishment in that strip mall.
As the officers pulled up to that car, officials said the driver fled, jumping a curb and speeding north on Cicero Avenue. The officers tried to catch up to the car to deploy a tracking device, but officials said the suspects sped through the intersection of Cicero Avenue and Roosevelt Road.
Officials said a semi driving south on Cicero turned left onto Roosevelt just after the suspect car passed, and the Cicero police car hit the rear of the truck. Two other vehicles were also involved in the crash. The suspect car was not involved and continued north on Cicero.
"They made their escape, but we do a pretty good job of finding them, and pretty good job of tracking them, and we're really good at our job, and we'll take care of that," Cicero Police Supt. Thomas Boyle said.
Both officers in the police car were taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital. One of them underwent surgery, and his condition was stabilized. The other officer was treated and released.
Three civilians were also hurt but did not have life-threatening injuries. They were taken to Loyola, Mt. Sinai, and MacNeal hospitals for treatment.
The officers involved in the crash have been part of a unit investigating a rash of burglaries for months.
"We've been addressing them both within the Cicero Police Department as well as regionally in cooperation with other outside agencies," Boyle said.
Over the weekend, three men were arrested by the same unit after they were seen driving around a Cicero gambling establishment early Saturday, and were found in possession of burglary tools. Those suspects tried to flee from police, but officers disabled their vehicle on the West Side of Chicago, and the suspects were arrested following a brief foot chase.