Page 50 - 2018 July Newsletter

eired officer who fogh off caracers recogied C
n BY DAN CAMPANA
Retired Chicago Police Officer Robert Olson spent nearly 40 years on the job and that experience likely helped him survive an April carjacking attempt in the Bridgeport neighborhood.
The harrowing incident earned Olson the Chicago Police Me- morial Foundation’s Officer of the Month award for June. CPMF officials said his quick actions to fend off the attack likely meant the difference between a recognition ceremony and a memorial service.
Olson was in the area of 29th and Shields that night to meet friends for dinner. As he parked his car, Olson – who retired about six years ago – noticed three young men lingering on the nearby corner. Then they were gone. Officials said Olson as- sumed the men had left. What he didn’t realize is that the trio hid behind his car waiting for Olson to get out, which he did before the men confronted him. One of them, a felon freed early from prison on gun and robbery convictions, ran toward Olson with a gun while demanding the car and threatening to kill the former officer.
Olson, however, was also armed. As most retired officers do, he continues to carry a gun to protect his family and his life. Concerned by the armed offender’s threat, Olson fired once, striking the felon who fell to ground. One of the other men im- mediately pleaded with Olson to not shoot him by claiming he did not have a gun.
CPMF officials said it became obvious to Olson that the three men were working together to commit carjackings. Olson or- dered the second man to the ground while he dialed 9-1-1. The third man fled the scene, but was eventually apprehended. Offi- cials said the felon – investigators recovered his gun – was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Police connected the man to another carjacking that occurred earlier in the day. The others, reported to be juveniles, were not charged.
During the ceremony, CPMF officials pointed out that Olson’s grandson – who carries the same name – was a carjacking vic- tim earlier this year. The younger Olson, who attends law school at the University of Illinois, lost his car after a suspect with a gun approached him in Hyde Park and demanded his car. He was not injured. d
50 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JULY 2018