STRATEGIC PARTNERS
March 6, 2002
CHICAGO -- A would-be ATM thief on the city's South Side picked the wrong victim on Sept. 4: an off-duty Chicago cop.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the officer was attempting to use an ATM at a Citibank branch at 3:15 a.m. when a man approached from behind, stuck a gun in his back and demanded money.
The man briefly turned away from the officer for a moment when he was distracted by a noise. The officer drew his gun and fired, striking the unlucky robber once in the chest.
The wounded offender ran away and was picked up by a second man, who drove him to a Chicago firehouse. Firefighters there called police to report a gunshot victim and took him to Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn.
The 18-year-old man from Chicago was in custody and in fair condition Monday night. The driver of the car, a 24-year-old from Chicago, is also in custody; he was detained when he went to Christ Hospital.
The officer was not injured in the incident.
Police suspect the two men were involved in three other robberies at the same ATM within the past three days. A police spokesman noted that there were "a lot of similarities" between the robberies.
Police said that charges are pending and the investigation is continuing.
