UPDATES WITH ADDITIONAL DETAILS
A Chicago Police officer was driving one of four vehicles involved in a crash early Thursday that left several people injured on the Near North Side.
About 2:45 a.m., a Pontiac was speeding west on West Division Street when the vehicle drifted across the center line and struck a taxi, then caused a chain-reaction crash with three vehicles stopped at a red light at the intersection with North Orleans Street, according to Chicago Police.
The officer, who was on-duty at the time and driving to a police station for an unrelated traffic stop, was in one of the vehicles stopped at the red light when it was rear-ended by the Pontiac, police said. The Pontiac also rear-ended a Mercedes, causing that vehicle to crash into a Nissan stopped in front of it.
Fire officials said one person was pinned inside a vehicle and had to be extricated.
The driver of the Pontiac, a 36-year-old man, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, while his passenger, a 38-year-old woman, was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center, police said. The man driving the Mercedes was also taken to Northwestern.
Police said none of the injuries were thought to be life-threatening.
The police officer, a 45-year-old woman, was taken in critical condition to Northwestern, according to Fire Media Affairs Chief Juan Hernandez. Police did not immediately confirm that information and said she refused medical attention.
Police said citations and charges were pending against the driver of the Pontiac early Thursday.