A Chicago police officer and a suspect were shot and wounded in an exchange of gunfire early Monday following an attempted smash-and-grab burglary at a high-end store, authorities said.
Police Supt. Larry Snelling said officers were called to the scene at around 4:15 a.m. after someone tried to drive an SUV through the windows of a Prada store in the city’s Gold Coast neighborhood. When officers arrived, several suspects fled, including an armed man whom officers chased on foot, he said.
“The officers tried to de-escalate the situation by telling the suspect to drop the gun. He did not. Shortly thereafter there was an exchange of gunfire,” Snelling told reporters.
Two officers fired their weapons and one of them, a 55-year-old male officer with 17 years on the job, was shot in the leg and hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, he said.
Authorities said the suspect who was shot underwent surgery at a hospital and was in critical condition, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Police were searching for everyone who was involved in the attempted heist, the chief said. Police recovered two guns at the scene and Snelling said several vehicles were involved in the burglary attempt.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating the shooting.