Expert: CPD officers hit by car on DuSable Lake Shore Drive could have fired guns, but chose not to
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago Police are looking over POD camera video along DuSable Lake Shore Drive to find the person who deliberately tried running over officers.
Video from someone in traffic on the Drive at the time provides an idea of just how close the officers came to getting seriously hurt.
With guns drawn, Chicago Police officers boxed in a vehicle at DuSable Lake Shore Drive and Chicago Avenue around 7:45 a.m. Saturday. The suspects had just been spotted breaking into a work van and some apartments minutes away, in the 1500 block of North State Parkway in the Gold Coast.
In viral video first posted by the user Chicago Critter on Facebook, the driver is seen getting out and being taken into custody – but someone else is in the passenger seat. Despite the officers' guns being in clear view, the passenger jumped into the seat and floored it.
Two officers were hurt by the car. They could have fired - but they chose not to, an expert said.
"The officers had every right to shoot, but they were more concerned with the citizens around them," said Mylan Masson.
Masson spent two decades as the director of law enforcement training in Minnesota. She reviewed the video of the incident from over the weekend.
"Within about one second, they had to decide, 'Am I going to shoot, or not shoot?' And they chose not to," Masson said. "The reason is, they probably felt that they could find this driver."
The viral video has left many people questioning the method the three officers used. Yet Masson said in tense moments, officers tried to gain control quickly.
"Have the person cut the car off," Masson said, "if you can think about it quickly, and if they'll do it."
There is no audio in the video clip, so the officers' orders are heard. But with guns out, they clearly meant business – yet the second suspect did not care.
"We have to remember that a car is a weapon," said Masson. "They were concerned about the other people."
While officers used great restraint by never firing, Masson said, the box-in did not work.
"Obviously, it zoomed away - so it wasn't blocked very well," said Masson. "Could they have blocked the car more? I'm not sure - it just depends on the situation."
The officers who were struck were taken to an area hospital.
The driver – Darius Carter, 32 – was taken into custody. He was charged with one misdemeanor count of attempted theft/unauthorized con of $500 and was issued four traffic citations.
But the passenger who climbed over and took over driving upon Carter's arrest – and hit the officers - remained on the loose Tuesday evening.
"And there's probably lots of video around," Masson said, "and they'll get all of that, they'll get it together, and they'll eventually find that person."
Late Tuesday, there was no word if the driver who was arrested has helped identify the man who hit the officers with the car. But when arrested, he will face more than just a burglary charge – as felony charges are on the table for the battery of a police officer.
