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The thieves had tried to steal a vehicle in the city's East Hill section shortly before 6 a.m. Thursday, Capt. Matthew de la Rosa said.
The homeowner came out, however, and they fled, residents said.
A short time later, the fleeing vehicle intentionally struck a city police cruiser at the corner of Dana Place and Maple Street, just up the block from East Palisade Avenue, de la Rosa said.
The police SUV knocked over a fire hydrant and a stone fence column as the suspects sped off.
The officer thankfully wasn't seriously injured, said de la Rosa, who's the officer in charge of the department's administrative and uniformed divisions. The police vehicle had to be towed.
"The protection of our residents’ property is a shared responsibility that we all take seriously," de la Rosa said, "but the safety of our citizens and our officers will always be paramount.
"Our detectives are working to identify the actors involved in this, and the pursuit will be reviewed per the Attorney General guidelines," he said.
"We implore all residents to continue to be vigilant and lock the doors and take the key fobs out of their vehicles," the captain emphasized.
He also asked anyone who might have witnessed anything involving the incident to contact the Englewood Police Detective Bureau at (201) 568-4875.
The same goes for anyone who might have relevant security video or other information that could help identify the vehicle and/or suspects.
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