Robbery suspect hits deputy with own squad car, leads to chase on Dan Ryan Expressway

A string of ATM burglaries on the city's  Southwest Side led to a squad car being stolen and a sheriff's deputy being hurt early on Saturday morning.

It all started inside a Clark gas station at 71st and Damen around 4 a.m. That's where four men in hoods entered—one holds the employee behind the counter at gunpoint, while the others latch a chain to the ATM.

The thieves then connect it to a grey Jeep SUV outside and drive off, smashing the machine through the glass doors.

"I was scared because my coworker was also outside cleaning," said clerk Zameer Mohammed.

Mohammed works at an Amoco gas station at the corner of California and 55th, where a similar situation happened hours later.

He says he was working around 7 a.m. when what appeared to be the same crew came in and tried to steal their ATM.

"He shake the atm. " I'm thinking maybe this guy drunk, but no," he said.

He says they did not hold him at gunpoint but drove off in the jeep after they heard police coming.

Chicago police say the group was stopped about a 15-minute drive north.

The Cook County Sheriff's Office says the Jeep hit another car near 31st and California. They say a sheriff's deputy nearby heard it, came to the intersection, and saw four people run away. 

Police say three of the men were arrested, but the fourth managed to push past the deputy and steal their squad car, and then used the squad car to hit the deputy before speeding away. He was later arrested on the Dan Ryan after sources say they used spike strips to stop the stolen squad car, popping its tire.

The Cook County Sheriff's Office says the deputy was treated for minor injuries and was released from the hospital.

Area 1 detectives are investigating.