Off-duty Cook County Sheriff's deputy fires shots at robbery suspect

CHICAGO (CBS) — An off-duty Cook County Sheriff's correctional deputy fired shots at a would-be robber early Sunday on Chicago's Near West Side.

Chicago police said, around 1:45 a.m., a 24-year-old man was walking on the sidewalk in the 200 block of North Morgan Street when someone got out of a Ford SUV and tried to rob him at gunpoint.

The victim pulled out his own gun and fired several shots at the suspect while they ran away. The Cook County Sheriff's office confirmed the 24-year-old man is a correctional deputy.

Just steps away from the scene of the robbery attempt, a vehicle burst into flames.

A witness at the scene described what he saw.

"We saw a police truck, it was on fire, and you know, it was so crazy to the point it was messing with my breathing and I couldn't really breathe like that. But Luckily, it didn't blow up because the car was kind of exploding a little bit. Like, you was hearing noises. Like you can tell the truck was gonna blow up, like boom, boom."

Police did not confirm if the burning car was related to the robbery and shooting.

Chicago police were investigating the robbery attempt.