Forest Park police shoot shoplifting suspect in hip

FOREST PARK, Ill. (WLS) -- Police in southwest suburban Forest Park said an officer responding to a reported shoplifting shot the suspect in the hip following a pursuit after the officer saw he was armed with a knife.

Police said they received a call about loss prevention officers chasing a shoplifting suspect out of the Walmart in the 1300-block of Des Plaines Avenue. Police chased the suspect into a nearby cemetery, where the suspect jumped into the Des Plaines River and swam across to the opposite bank, police said.

Police said the pursuing officers searched for the suspect but could not locate him and were preparing to leave when the officer spotted him. As the suspect ran back into the river, police said the officer saw the suspect was armed with a knife and fired shots, striking the suspect in the hip.

The suspect was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police said that according to protocol, two officers were taken to a hospital as a precaution and will be placed on administrative leave while the shooting is investigated by the Illinois State Police Public Integrity Unit.

The shoplifted goods were recovered.