Conflicting stories emerge in East Garfield Park crash involving police

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Five people, including two officers, were injured in a crash that left a police SUV on its roof in Chicago's East Garfield Park neighborhood overnight.

Investigators said the police squad was traveling north on South Homan Avenue when it was struck by a black sedan heading west on West Congress Parkway just after midnight.

The SUV flipped over and slid before coming to a stop near an alley on the block. Officers had Homan blocked off for hours on Friday near Congress during the investigation.

No one was seriously injured in the crash. The two police officers were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. They are expected to be OK.

The 19-year-old driver, identified by family as Tashawna Anderson, and her older sister were transported to Stroger Hospital. Their cousin, Kerry Holoman, was also in the car. He was treated at Mt. Sinai Hospital and later released.

"They're trying to say we hit them. We ain't hit them. They hit us," Holoman said.

The 20-year-old man said the police SUV blew a red light chasing another car and wound up hitting the vehicle he was riding in.

"It hit the front of us. It was coming across that bridge over there. It hit the front of us. They came. They didn't have no sirens. They said they was chasing somebody - chasing a car," Holoman said.

Police issued Tashawna Anderson a traffic citation. Her mother, Tomiko Anderson, came to her defense.

"The light was green. They were sitting there. No sirens, no lights was showing or nothing. They did not see the police. They said they were going so fast and when they hit them, they was just in shock," Tomiko Anderson said.

Investigators said alcohol was not involved in the crash.

Police have not responded to claims that the cruiser was at fault. They will only say the crash remains under investigation.