Feb. 08--An Illinois State Police trooper exchanged gunfire with a teenager Saturday evening after investigating a stolen vehicle on the South Side near the Dan Ryan Expressway.
The trooper came upon the vehicle about 8:55 p.m. at a gas station at the intersection of Garfield Boulevard and Wells Street, and a license plate check indicated it was stolen, according to a news release from the Illinois State Police. The trooper attempted to talk to the only person in the vehicle, a passenger, and that person got out and fled on foot.
The trooper chased the passenger for about 1,000 feet north on Wells, the release said, when the passenger fired a single shot at the officer. The officer fired one shot in return, the passenger fell to the ground and was taken into custody by the trooper.
No one was reported injured from gunfire, according to the release, and a gun was recovered at the scene.
The passenger, a 17-year-old male, was charged with attempted murder of a police officer, aggravated discharge of a firearm, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, criminal trespass to a vehicle, and aggravated assault, the release said. He is scheduled to appear in Cook County bond court Monday.
According to the release, the identity of the driver of the vehicle is still unknown, and the investigation is continuing.
