CHICAGO — Two officers were injured and a man was shot by police during an incident in Austin on Wednesday, officials said.
The incident happened at 11:15 a.m. in the 1600 block of North LeClaire Avenue, police said.
Plainclothes officers in an unmarked car saw "an individual that’s known to them" in a stolen car and attempted to talk to the man when the man drove off down the alley behind LeClaire Avenue, said Deputy Chief Al Nagode.
In the alley, the man hit a resident's car that was also driving down the alley. Officers again approached the car and told the man to get out, Nagode said.
In an attempt to escape, the man rammed the resident's car again and an officer was pinned between the car and his own squad car, officials said. The officer who was pinned then fired shots twice, hitting the man the man second time, police said.
The incident caused "pretty good damage" to the officer's right leg, Nagode said. He was taken to a local hospital, where his condition was not available but police said he was listed as "stable," and his leg was possibly broken.
Another officer was injured in the incident, but the officer was expected to be treated and released, Nagode said.
The person who was shot was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, said Chicago Fire spokesman Larry Langford.
Officers could not say if the man was armed, but the investigation is ongoing. Officers were not wearing body cameras, Nagode said.
The shooting will be investigated by the Independent Police Review Authority, police said, and officers who fired shots will be placed on administrative duties for 30 days.
Concord Place, Wabansia Avenue and an alley connecting the blocks were blocked off after the incident. Police officers congregated in the 1600 block of North LeClaire Avenue.
Police involved shooting - 1643 N. LECLAIRE. Officer pinned by vehicle, offender shot. PIO responding.
— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) May 24, 2017
Cop hurt, alleged car thief shot & wounded & W Side homeowner is left w/ hole in garage after car rams into it from alley. @WBBMNewsradio pic.twitter.com/zLOZbsfCbn
— Stephen Miller (@ssmiller) May 24, 2017
Ameka Washington, 19, was sleeping when the shots rang out Wednesday, but she has become accustomed to dangerous incidents around the neighborhood, she said.. The family car, parked between police tape boundaries along Concord Place Wednesday, has been hit by bullets three times in the past, she said.
Most recently, bullets struck the car, entered her home and took the life of a friend she described as like a brother, Solomon Walker, on Nov. 3. Around 10:45 p.m., Walker, 22, and a 34-year-old man were standing on a corner in the 5000 block of West Concord Place when Walker was struck in the head by a stray bullet.
"All this is too much," said Washington.
Alana Hall, who's lived on the block for 10 years, awoke to the sound of two gunshots Wednesday and saw an officer she knew being loaded into an ambulance.
The officer patrols the area on his bike during the summer, she said.
"That's my buddy," she said. "We knew him and his partner. I called them Frick and Frack because we never learned their real name. But everyone had a name for those two."
Wednesday's incident was the last straw for Hall, who said she hopes to move out of the area soon.
"I'm ready to get off this corner. There's stuff going on inside the building and outside the building," she said.
This is the third time in less than four days a Chicago Police officer has been hit by a car. The first incident happened Sunday in North Lawndale, and a second officer was hit by a car in Grand Crossing on Tuesday.
