DOLTON, Ill. (WLS) — A 19-year-old woman died and two police officers were seriously injured in south suburban Dolton Tuesday morning after a wild confrontation with police ended in a shooting and crash.
Dolton spokesman Sean Howard said police received a call from employees of the Baba’s restaurant in the 600-block of Sibley Boulevard at about 1 a.m. who said a woman with a gun was irate that the drive-thru was closed.
Officers arrived on the scene and a woman and a male acquaintance were asked to get out of the car. The acquaintance complied, but the investigators said the woman refused and was not fully dressed and frantic. The woman then started driving while one officer was reaching inside the vehicle to get the keys, Howard said.
“He was halfway in the car trying to remove her and that is when she took off,” Howard said.
A second officer fired at least three shots, injuring the woman as he was struck by the car.
“He saw the car coming toward him. The vehicle was therefore being used as a weapon,” Howard said. “That officer discharged his weapon multiple times into the car.”
The woman then crashed into a nearby bike shop, with the officer still being dragged by the car. Bike shop owner Howard Pence was in his store and called 911.
“I felt like it was like tornado consequences. Like the house was shaking,” Pence said. “There was a cop laying down on the sidewalk.”
The officers were transported to a hospital in serious condition. Howard said the condition of one of the officers has improved.
The woman died at the scene. Family members identified her as 19-year-old Alexis Wilson. Her family said there is much more to the story and plan to speak to the media in the coming days.
Investigators haven’t yet said if Wilson was armed. Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard said she has not seen police body camera video yet, but is confident village officers acted appropriately.
“They did do the right thing,” Mayor Henyard said. “If anything, they have saved the community from any crime that could have happened last night.”
Source: abc7chicago.com