CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - More than 15 hours after it started, a police standoff with a fugitive near the United Center is over.
At around 8 a.m., Chicago Police announced they took Joshua Zimmerman in custody who had barricaded himself inside a restaurant near Madison and Oakley since 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Zimmerman, 30, barricaded himself in the ceiling of the Seafood Junction restaurant, 2325 W. Madison St., authorities said.
“We know that he’s by himself in there,” said Justin Smith, chief deputy with the DeSoto County sheriff’s office in Mississippi on Tuesday. “There is no innocent civilians, it’s only Zimmerman inside the building.”
A spokesperson with the United States Marshals Service didn’t say how Zimmerman got to Chicago, how long he had been in the city or why he was there.
Zimmerman has been charged with two fugitive from justice – out of state warrant. He is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.
Zimmerman, who escaped from the DeSoto County courthouse before he was set to appear for a hearing June 14, was charged with multiple felonies including attempted murder, the sheriff’s office said. He is also facing murder charges in Texas, records show.
The DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office said they wanted to interview him to learn more about how he was able to escape.
In the Texas murder, Zimmerman, also known as Vincent Guerino Juliano, is accused of fatally shooting 23-year-old Keyanna Mercer last September inside a Houston motel room, according to Houston police.
Further police investigation revealed the motel room was rented to Zimmerman and Mercer, and witnesses told officers they heard screaming coming from the room before hearing a gunshot. Zimmerman was then seen leaving the room a short time later, officials said.
He was arrested by the Southaven Police Department in Mississippi less than a month later on separate felony charges.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok