Palatine police officer suffers minor injuries in crash

A Palatine police officer was injured Tuesday when his squad car collided with an SUV as he was responding to assist on an ambulance call.

Police said the officer was traveling westbound on Illinois Avenue with his emergency lights on and sirens blaring at about 5:50 p.m., when the squad car struck a Ford Escape that drove into its path at the Quentin Road intersection. The front of the officer's Dodge Charger slammed into the driver's side of the SUV driven by a 22-year-old Schaumburg woman, according to police.

The officer suffered an arm injury and was taken to Northwest Community Hospital, where doctors confirmed that he hadn't broken any bones, police said. The officer was treated and released from a hospital later Tuesday evening.

The Escape's driver, Shelby E. Gumz, and her 3-year-old daughter, were unharmed, police said. Gumz was issued a citation for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle, according to police.

Both vehicles were towed away from the scene.