Crash involving Chicago police under scrutiny after new surveillance video surfaces | FOX 32 Chicago

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A newly-surfaced surveillance video is raising questions about a crash involving a Chicago police vehicle that sent a young family to the hospital and damaged several cars on the city’s West Side.

CHICAGO - A newly-surfaced surveillance video is raising questions about a crash involving a Chicago police vehicle that sent a young family to the hospital and damaged several cars on the city’s West Side.

What we know:

The collision happened just after 6 p.m. on June 22 at the intersection of Monroe Street and Kostner Avenue.

The video, captured by a convenience store security camera, appears to contradict the official account from police.

The footage showed a Chevrolet Equinox coming to a complete stop at a stop sign while heading westbound on Monroe. Moments later, a Chicago police vehicle traveling northbound on Kostner was seen maneuvering around a line of stopped cars and crashed into the Equinox.

The impact pushed both vehicles into a parked Volkswagen, hitting it on both ends. Another nearby car was also damaged in the chain reaction.

Inside the Volkswagen were Danielle Howse’s fiancé, a 28-year-old man, and their three small children. All four were taken to the hospital in fair condition, authorities said. The Volkswagen was totaled.

Despite the video, police say the Equinox struck the squad car and cited the driver for three violations, including driving without insurance.

What they're saying:

Howse, who viewed the video, is demanding accountability and plans to file a formal complaint.

"They hit the SUV. They struck that lady and she was hanging, basically hanging out of her vehicle," said Howse. "I have to pay $900… but it's not my fault. Of course we have insurance. That's a $40,000 car. People on the West Side of the community are people too. We have lives, we have jobs, we have children. We are integral people. We're not just anybody and you cannot just do anything over here in the community that you don't even live in and then go back to your home and think it's going to be okay. There's a thing called ‘you reap what you sow' and this is it."

What's next:

Chicago police have not commented further and are sticking to their original version of events.

We have reached out to see if the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) is investigating the incident and have not heard back. Howse confirmed she did file an official complaint with COPA.

The information in this article was reported by FOX 32's Tia Ewing.

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