Chicago police were involved in a shooting that left one man dead on the West Side Wednesday night, authorities said. Police said the shooting took place during a struggle with a fleeing stolen-car suspect over an officer’s gun. Police said that about 7 p.m. police received a report about a car being stolen near the intersection of Laramie Avenue and Washington Boulevard. A police car with two police officers noticed the car being driving in the area and began to pursue it, said Lt. Maureen Biggane of Police News Affairs. When police began to pursue the stolen car it crashed near the intersection of West End Avenue and three people in the car tried to flee on foot, Biggane said. Witnesses said the car was speeding down West End with about three police cars in pursuit, and when it attempted to turn onto Kostner Avenue it knocked over part of a 6-foot-tall wrought iron fence and struck a brick three-story building on the southeast corner of the intersection. The 4-door sedan remained against the building Wednesday night. Witnesses said the car was traveling at a high rate of speed when it was being pursued. After the accident the three people left the car, apparently including a woman who was quickly apprehended, witnesses said. Two men who were also in the car fled and officers chased them on foot into an alley behind the 4300 block of West Washington Boulevard, Biggane said. In the alley, one of the people from the car, an unidentified man, began to struggle with a police officer and the man attempted to take the officer’s gun, Biggane said. During the struggle the officer fired, fatally shooting the man, Biggane said. “As one officer converged on and attempted to place one of the individuals in custody … that offender disarmed the officer,” Biggane said near the scene. “The officer and the offender struggled for the officer’s weapon. Fearing for his life during the struggle the officer discharged his weapon, striking and fatally wounding the offender.” The officer injured both his hands, a non-life threatening injury, Biggane said. He was transported to an area hospital. Police were able to apprehend the two other people who were in the stolen car, Biggane said. Witness said they heard 5 to 6 shots fired. Mark Payne, spokesman for the Independent Police Review Authority, said they are investigating. No weapon had been recovered from the slain suspect, he said. Police had the area along Washington Boulevard and and Kostner Avenue roped off during the investigation. — Robert Mitchum and Carlos Sadovi
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Police shoot man dead on West Side
