Two University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD) cars responding to a shooting collided into each other around 9 p.m. tonight on 57th Street between South Maryland and Ellis Avenues.

One of the UCPD cars lost control after the crash and hit several parked cars in front of the Biological Sciences Learning Center and the Gordon Center for Integrative Science. At least six cars were damaged in the accident. One policeman was injured and was taken by ambulance to Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Over a half dozen Chicago Police Department and UCPD cars responded to the crash and closed off vehicle access to the street. According to policemen on the scene, the two police cars were responding to a shooting south of the Midway.

Several cars were towed away and a UCPD patrol car involved in the collision was badly damaged–the back of the car was stripped and the rear tires were popped.

Policemen at the scene were not sure why the injured officer was taken to Northwestern instead of the University of Chicago Medical Center two blocks away from the crash scene. No other injuries were reported.