2 off-duty CPD officers victims in 2 separate crimes within hours

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Two off-duty Chicago police officers were victims of two separate crimes within hours of each other this weekend, police said.

One officer was grazed by a bullet on his way home from work early Sunday in the Bridgeport neighborhood. The other had their gun stolen late Saturday during an armed robbery in the Lakeview neighborhood.

Late Sunday, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said the crimes emphasize the need for stricter gun enforcement laws.

At about 5 a.m. Sunday, an officer sustained a graze wound on the upper arm. Investigators are trying to determine whether he was targeted, possibly followed from the police department, police said.

The 9th District police officer had finished his shift and was traveling in his personal vehicle on West 31st Street near South Loomis Street when a vehicle sped up and pulled alongside him. A person in the vehicle pointed a gun at the officer and fired shots, police said.

The officer fired back and the offender fled the scene. The officer was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and released Sunday morning.

One witness, who declined to be identified, said: "I just heard tires squealing. That's it. Pop, pop, pop, pop, shots firing. I came out and there was somebody standing right by the car. I realized he had a radio and he was a police officer and he's the victim."

Hours earlier in the Lakeview neighborhood, armed robbers stole a gun and wallet from an off-duty Chicago police officer, police said. The wallet had the officers badge inside, but it was found on the ground nearby.

The officer and another individual were in the 3100-block of North Ravenswood Avenue at about 9:25 p.m. Saturday when they were approached by three people armed with handguns, police said.

The robbers, described as males in their teens or early 20s, stole the officer's .38-caliber handgun and the wallets from both victims. They fled the scene in a dark-colored SUV.

No injuries were reported.

No one is in custody in either case.