When the SUV's owner approached, investigators said, the suspects inside the vehicle began shooting. The owner, a 31-year-old man, then fired back.
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Bullet holes now riddle the crashed Dodge Durango. The mangled metal and shattered glass detail a violent shootout that ended with at least three suspects in custody. One of them is a juvenile, and another is a 23-year-old man who was shot twice amid the fray.
All of this unfolded as a family took it upon themselves to track down their stolen vehicle.
"We called the police and - because we had a tracker on the car - they said, 'Don't chase them.' By the time we were talking to the police, the car passed by them. They tried to get them, but they didn't stop," said Liborio Torres, the SUV owner's father-in-law.
But the SUV owner and his family kept pursuing the alleged thieves.
Torres, who did not want his face shown, said his son-in-law tracked his SUV to the parking lot of a shopping center at 87th and Lafayette in Chatham just before 9 a.m.
"Because he was tracking it down, we seen it, like, 'Oh, it's right there.' So we went around. By the time he was going to get out, they saw us, and they started driving, and the other guys in the back started shooting at us," Torres said.
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The owner, who police said is a Concealed-Carry License holder, then returned fire.
That's when a security guard, who wanted ABC7 to conceal his identity, was just arriving to work. He said the police weren't far away.
"And, I see a gray Dodge Durango pull up. Then, I see the police get behind it and the police flashed their lights, and then all hell broke loose, gunfire. Then, the Dodge Durango sped off and ran into the T-Mobile," the security guard said.
Police said during the shootout, a 23-year-old man was hit in his shoulder and neck and took himself to Trinity Hospital with serious injuries.
A boy, hurt in the crash was arrested and taken to Comer Children's Hospital in good condition.
Police also arrested a third suspect who tried to run away.
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The stolen SUV was taken from the scene, but left behind a concern for those who work there.
"Hurt, anger, disgust, you know, because we need to try to find something in our community for these young Black men to do, bro," the security guard said.
No other injuries were reported. Police said three guns were recovered from the scene. One was from the suspect who was trying to run away. Another was found on the ground outside of the crashed car, and a rifle was found inside the car.
Charges are pending. Area Two detectives are investigating.
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