CHICAGO — COPA, the agency charged with investigating shootings and major accidents involving Chicago police officers, has released videos and other records from a car crash that left a man dead and two others injured as cops were following a suspect vehicle last month in McKinley Park.
Early on October 1, CPD patrol officers focusing on a robbery pattern in the 5500 block of South Pulaski saw two people they believed to be armed get into a black Lexus sedan, according to the police department.
COPA said the vehicle fled when officers tried to investigate, and the police followed the Lexus. At 35th Street and Ashland, the speeding Lexus ran a red light and struck a vehicle that was making a turn in the intersection.
The impact sent the Lexus plowing into a nearby building, which partially collapsed. A male passenger was ejected from the Lexus and died at the scene. Officials said the two drivers suffered relatively minor injuries.
Both COPA and CPD said police recovered two firearms at the crash scene.
A CPD surveillance camera recorded the collision. Among the other videos released by COPA is dashcam footage from the vehicle that the Lexus struck.
A dashcam video from the nearest CPD unit appears to show that the officers were about half-block behind the Lexus when it crashed. It’s unclear if the officers had activated their emergency lights and siren or if they were trying to “follow” the Lexus without making it a pursuit. Here’s how it looked:
COPA continues investigating the officers’ actions to determine if they complied with CPD policies. The agency invites anyone with information or video about the case to contact them at 312-746-3609.
Additional videos and documents are available on COPA’s website.
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