Cicero crash: 5 hurt, including two officers in police chase of burglary suspects

5 injured, including 2 officers, in Cicero pursuit crash

Two police officers tracking burglary suspects were injured in a crash early Monday in Chicago's west suburbs.

CICERO, Ill. - A four-vehicle crash during an early morning police chase in Chicago's west suburbs left five people injured, including two officers.

What we know:

The crash happened around 4:49 a.m. Monday at Roosevelt Road and Cicero Avenue in Cicero, according to town officials.

Two officers were injured in a crash involving three vehicles in Cicero on Monday.

A Cicero police special operations unit assigned to monitor recent burglaries at gaming establishments identified two vehicles believed to be connected to a burglary in west suburban Bellwood.

Officers followed the vehicles briefly before one, a dark Acura SUV, pulled into a strip mall parking lot near 16th Street and Cicero Avenue, where another gaming business is located.

As officers approached, the driver fled, jumping a curb and heading north on Cicero Avenue. Police then tried to catch up to deploy a tracking device.

"They then attempted to get behind the vehicle to place a tracker called StarChase, and in the course of that, the collision occurred," Cicero Police Superintendent Thomas Boyle said.

The fleeing vehicle sped through the Roosevelt Road intersection and a southbound semi-truck turned east onto Roosevelt just after, which is when the police squad car struck the rear of the semi. Two more vehicles were also involved in the crash.

The suspects' vehicle continued north.

"Our guys were doing what they do, and our officers were injured," Boyle said. "They are burglaries, but they are not victimless crimes. Most of these crews are heavily armed."

Three civilians were taken to Loyola, Mount Sinai and MacNeal hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.

Both officers were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital. One officer was in surgery but in stable condition, while the other suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

The suspects have not been apprehended.

Dig deeper:

The Cicero police unit involved in the crash was created in response to a pattern of burglaries targeting gaming establishments across the suburbs.

Over the weekend, the same unit arrested three men after spotting them driving near a local gaming business. Officials said the men had items consistent with burglary activity.

Those suspects tried to flee but were eventually caught after their vehicle was disabled and they ran on foot.