A mother and two children were injured Wednesday afternoon in a four-vehicle accident that started with a stolen police car in Bedford Park and ended in a major collision on Roberts Road in Bridgeview.
The incident began when the suspect allegedly stole a Bedford Park police squad car while officers were responding to a call for service around 2:45 p.m. in the 6800 block of South Archer Road, sources said.
The squad car was abandoned at 97th Place and Avon Avenue in Chicago Ridge, though why wasn’t immediately known.
The suspect then commandeered a U.S. Postal service truck from its female driver and headed northbound on Roberts Road.
While traveling north on Roberts Road he was involved in a four-vehicle accident near 81st and Roberts.
Bridgeview Police Chief Ricardo Mancha said two vehicles suffered minor damage while the postal van and the car carrying the family were heavily damaged.
The suspect, the mom and one of the children were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and were still hospitalized as of Thursday. A second child was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital. All were in stable but serious condition. The children were aged 4 and 7.
Mancha said no charges had been filed as of Thursday.
“We’re coordinating with multiple agencies, so it will take some time,” he said.
He said the FBI would probably get involved at some point because of the hijacking of the postal vehicle.
The accident forced Bridgeview police to close a mile-long stretch of Roberts Road in both directions from 79th to 87th streets Wednesday afternoon.
Police said the accident happened about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.