I would call this one an attack, but it sounds more like an ambush. An off-duty Chicago Police officer was heading home from dinner Wednesday evening and had to get out of his vehicle to move some trash cans blocking the road.
Approximately five suspects started shooting at him as he returned to his SUV. The officer got back into his vehicle and returned fire. He escaped while being shot at, drove a couple of blocks, and then called for help. They found at least one bullet hole in his front window.
Luckily, he only got a graze wound to the arm, and physically, he was in good shape. Emotionally, though, as you can imagine, he was shaken up.
Interim Chicago Police Department Superintendent Fred Waller said, “He was very emotional, very emotional, and happy to just be grazed in the arm because of the amount of shell casing we found out there. It could have been very, very much worse.”
They found a gun at the scene that they believe belonged to one of the alleged attackers but have made no arrest.
No matter how well-trained you are, facing multiple armed attackers in the open is not a good situation. Sometimes your best defense is getting “off the X” by using the few thousand-pound projectile with four wheels you are driving.
The term “off the X” refers to getting out of the area of danger. This officer did a great job and used a weapon most people don’t think of. It could have gone much worse, and many people would have frozen and tried to stand their ground. Going up against multiple attackers who have ambushed you at night is not a wise tactic.
Tacitus was a Roman historian that said, “He that fights and runs away, May turn and fight another day; But he that is in battle slain, Will never rise to fight again.”
