Two police officers were taken to the hospital after the one driving swerved their police car in an “evasive maneuver” to avoid hitting an SUV that allegedly ran a stop sign, ending up inside a North Chicago home Wednesday evening.
The police car was traveling southbound on Wright Avenue, approaching 20th Street in North Chicago at around 10:39 p.m. on Wednesday.
Wright Avenue and 20th Street is a four-way stop.
“As the vehicle was passing through the intersection of 20th Street it made an evasive maneuver to avoid a collision with another vehicle and ended up striking the front of a house in the 2200 block of 20th Street,” North Chicago Assistant Police Chief Gary Lunn said.
The car crashed into the front of a house at the southwest corner of the intersection.
A resident was inside the house at the time, but they were in an area other than where the car crashed into the house, and they were not injured, Lunn added.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene to investigate.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Chief Christopher Covelli said the police car was driven by a recruit officer, with their training officer as the passenger.
The pair was responding to back up another officer who was on a traffic stop, Covelli said.
“According to both officers, once they began going through the intersection, a dark colored SUV disobeyed a stop sign on 20th, causing the North Chicago officer to have to abruptly swerve and drive off the roadway,” Covelli said.
“The officer was then unable to control the squad and crashed into a home,” Covelli added.
The North Chicago Fire Department responded to the scene.
Both officers were transported to Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital.
Covelli said the officers suffered minor injuries, while Lunn said there were no injuries and they were taken to the hospital as a precaution.
No one else was injured.
Police tape surrounded the house.
The North Chicago Building Department and North Shore Gas responded to the scene.
A tow truck later removed the car from the house.
The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.