Dascham footage from a Chicago Police car shows intense footage of a chase, and what appear to be bullets impacting on the windshield of the squad car, after Tuesday night's shootout on the Far South Side that left an officer wounded.
A convicted felon who was on parole for armed robbery now faces multiple charges after the gun battle, police say.
Charles Lawson, 24, was charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery, possession of a stolen vehicle, aggravated hijacking and aggravated fleeing and eluding.
Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in an emailed statement that the police department would release the dashcam footage of the incident as part of a criminal investigation into Lawson.
The officer suffered the wound to his face about 10:05 p.m. in the 10000 block of South Eggleston, according to Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.
Patrol officers investigating the carjacking saw what they believed to be the wanted vehicle and approached, Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson told reporters.
The officers initially approached the vehicle in the 600 block of East 100th Place, police said.
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The suspect then pulled out a weapon and fired upon the officers from the window of his vehicle, Johnson said. A male officer, thought to be in his early 30s, suffered a graze wound to his face and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn with injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening.
When the vehicle sped away, backup officers pursued and the suspect fired multiple shots at that squad car, Johnson said. The officers returned fire, but no one was struck.
The suspect eventually crashed the vehicle and tried to run away, but he was taken into custody a “short time later,” police said. A gun was recovered at the scene and charges were pending early Wednesday.
“The officer injured will be OK, but it just goes to show you, again, how people are out here with all these weapons and they’re not afraid to use them,” Johnson said.
“These police officers have a difficult job, every day, you know, they put their lives on the line,” he said. “We get scrutinized and criticized for everything we do, this is a difficult job, but they continue to do it despite everything going on. These officers knew that was a vehicle taken in a carjacking and they went to the vehicle, as opposed to away from it. The men and women of the Chicago Police Department are doing what they’re supposed to do, but this just illustrates how dangerous it is.”
A separate investigation is being conducted into the officers’ actions by the Independent Police Review Authority.
