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Chicago police car crashes into SUV during pursuit, 1 dead

CHICAGO (AP) - A Chicago police car pursuing a suspect's vehicle slammed into a sport-utility vehicle overnight, killing the SUV's driver and injuring several other people in a second collision, police said.

The squad car crashed into a Ford Explorer in Chicago's Lake View neighborhood Wednesday night before striking a Hummer, police said. The 37-year-old woman who was driving the Explorer was pronounced dead at Illinois Masonic Hospital.

A 62-year-old man and two women, ages 44 and 29 who were passengers in his Hummer, were injured when the squad car struck their vehicle after colliding with the Explorer.

They were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in fair condition, as were the two officers who were in the squad car, police said. The suspect was seriously injured in a subsequent crash.

The police pursuit began shortly after Chicago police spotted a Jeep possibly connected with a homicide and several shootings, police said in a statement. The Jeep eluded officers until it crashed and the man who was driving it ran from the scene, jumped into a Nissan SUV that had been left running and drove away.

As police were pursuing the squad car crashed into the Explorer and then the Hummer. The suspect was injured when the Nissan later hit a pole. He was arrested following a brief foot chase.

WGN-TV reported that the man was hospitalized in serious condition at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Multiple charges were pending against him.

Chicago police must follow a 'œbalancing test'ť when deciding whether to give chase, pursuing only those wanted for a serious crime such as murder or armed robbery while weighing risk factors such as traffic volume and road conditions.

Police said the squad car was marked and its emergency lights and siren were operating.

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