Police pursuit ends on Tri-State Tollway at 75th Street, causing huge backup
HODGKINS, Ill. (CBS) -- A police pursuit ended with a backup on the Tri-State Tollway Tuesday afternoon.
As CBS 2's Kris Habermehl reported, a vehicle occupied by a female driver and two male occupants were being sought for battering a police officer after police said they rammed a squad car in west suburban Oak Brook around 3 p.m.
Oak Brook police pursued the car on the eastbound Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) from Highland Avenue, then on the southbound to the Tri-State Tollway, and then about 150 feet on northbound I-55 before ending up back on the southbound Tri-State.
At 75th Street near the Willow Springs UPS facility, spike strips were put down, Habermehl reported. It was not clear if the suspects' car -- a gray Mazda -- was stopped by the spike strips or if it hit another vehicle, but the Mazda did stop at 75th Street.
The SB Tri-State Tollway (I-294) is stopped for miles after a police pursuit from Oakbrook ended at 75th Street. Three occupants of a sedan reportedly in custody & a police officer injured after his squad was hit by a semi during the apprehension. More at https://t.co/vhbRxCcLib pic.twitter.com/rILxfquINR
— Kris Habermehl (@KrisHabermehl) September 6, 2022
The three people in the car were taken into custody.
Meanwhile, an unmarked police car was also rammed by a semi-trailer truck at the scene. An officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The response backed up the southbound Tri-State all the way to Cermak Plaza. Habermehl compared traffic to "stuffing a bowling ball through a funnel."
One southbound lane was open by 4 p.m., but the traffic backup remained heavy -- particularly also given ongoing roadwork on the Tri-State.
By 4:40 p.m., the southbound Tri-State had reopened.
STREAMING LIVE: I-294 Police PursuitA police pursuit has ended on the Tri-State Tollway at 75th Street. Chopper 2 is over the scene. http://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/live
Posted by CBS Chicago on Tuesday, September 6, 2022