Off-duty officer hurt trying to stop Norwood Park car burglary, police say
CHICAGO -- An off-duty Chicago police officer was injured while trying to stop a man from breaking into a car on the Northwest Side, authorities said.
Police said the 45-year-old officer came upon a man vandalizing a parked car in the 5500-block of North Neenah Avenue in the city's Union Ridge neighborhood around 5:55 a.m. Thursday.
When the officer confronted the suspect, police said he ran into a waiting car. The driver of the car allegedly hit the gas, heading straight for the officer, as they sped away. Police said the officer fired shots but did not strike anyone.
The officer hurt his leg and was transported to Resurrection Hospital in good condition. It is unclear whether the officer was struck by the car or was hurt jumping out of the way.
No one is in custody. Sources say there have been several armed robberies and burglaries in the neighborhood recently.
"They said that there were two men underneath my car trying to get at the catalytic converter, and so the officer came out, and he tried to arrest them. And I guess he was hit with the car they were driving, and so he fired shots at them, and they took off," said would-be burglary victim Kayla Newman. "I am extremely truly grateful. I'm glad that he didn't get hurt severely."
An independent police review is underway. Its chief administrator Sharon Fairley was on the scene overseeing the probe. Investigators recovered shell casings in the Norwood Park neighborhood; it's an area many police and firefighters call home.
