Officer hit by car, suspect shot on West Side - Chicago Tribune

A Chicago police officer was hit by a car and the suspect shot on the Near West Side Saturday night, officials said.

The incident took place about 10:12 p.m. in the 2300 block of West Lake Street, according to said Police News Affairs Officer Ron Gaines.

The officer's injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, Gaines said. The officer was struck by a vehicle and police fired shots, hitting a suspect, who was shot in the leg, said Gaines.

The Independent Police Review Authority was investigating a person shot by police, confirmed IPRA spokesman Larry Merritt.

Fraternal Order of Police Spokesman Patrick Camden said three gang enforcement officers were working off a tip that a vehicle in the area was involved in the drug trade. The officers were facing west on Lake Street and tried to pull up on the car facing east, Camden said.

The driver of the car put it into gear and hit the police car head on, Camden said, and an officer exiting the passenger side of the car was hit by his own door with enough force to temporarily paralyze the officer, who was on the ground and could not move.

The driver tried to swing the car back around toward where the officer had fallen and two other officers opened fire, Camden said.

The officer was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital after being struck by the car, and a person shot was taken to John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford. The man shot is in serious condition with torso wounds, Camden said.

The ambulance carrying the officer arrived at Northwestern a little before 10:45 p.m., with many police officers arriving at the hospital to check on their fellow officer. The confrontation took place after covert car made a traffic stop, officials said.

During the stop, the person identified as suspect hit one of the officers with the car, and started moving again, after which he was shot in the leg. At the scene late Saturday, small cones stood near the black sedan the attacker had been driving.

The driver's side window of the sedan was shot out. A number of police supervisors and detectives were on scene at Western and Lake late Saturday, trying to calm down several people who identified themselves as relative of the man shot by police.

Police blocked Western Avenue from Washington Boulevard to Fulton Street for their investigation.

Tribune reporter Liam Ford contributed.

pnickeas@tribune.com, gpratt@tribune.com

Copyright © 2014, Chicago Tribune

Source : http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-officer-hit-by-car-suspect-shot-on-west-side-20140913-story.html