An off-duty Chicago police officer crashed his SUV into a car parked along an expressway early Friday, causing a fiery explosion that killed two people, authorities said.
An off-duty Chicago police officer crashed his SUV into a car parked along an expressway early Friday, causing a fiery explosion that killed two people, authorities said. The officer tried to flee after being helped from his vehicle by a passerby but was apprehended quickly and taken to a local hospital, State Police Sgt. Juan Valenzuela said. The accident happened just after 3:35 a.m. along the Dan Ryan Expressway on the city’s South Side, police said. Valenzuela said the car had pulled to the side of the expressway before it was struck from behind. Valenzuela said the driver of the SUV, whom he would not identify, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. A hospital spokeswoman could not immediately confirm whether the officer was there or his condition. Chicago police issued a statement saying the officer was in custody and that its internal affairs department had begun its own investigation. It also said the officer would be "relieved of his police powers." The Cook County medical examiner’s office did not immediately release the identities of the victims, and a spokesman did not immediately return a phone message. ______ Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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