A man who had escaped from a Mississippi courthouse and was wanted on murder and armed robbery charges has been apprehended following a standoff with police at a restaurant in Chicago, just blocks away from the Democratic National Convention. The suspect, identified as Joshua Zimmerman, was taken into custody on Wednesday morning by the U.S. Marshals Service.
Zimmerman had been on the run since his escape in June and was located at the Chicago restaurant on Tuesday. Authorities had been searching for him since he fled from the circuit court building in Hernando, Mississippi, where he was being held on charges of attempted murder and armed robbery. Additionally, he was awaiting extradition to Houston, Texas, where he faced murder charges.
The Chicago Police Department confirmed that a person was taken into custody around 7:20 a.m. following a SWAT operation that began the previous day. The standoff ended peacefully, with Zimmerman being apprehended without incident.
It remains unclear how authorities were able to track Zimmerman to Chicago. There is no indication of any connection between his capture and the Democratic National Convention, although the restaurant where he was found is in close proximity to the convention venue at the United Center.
Chief Deputy Justin Smith of the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office in Mississippi stated that Zimmerman was barricaded inside the restaurant during the standoff. Authorities are now focused on returning him to Mississippi and investigating the circumstances surrounding his escape.
The story has been updated to correct the wanted man’s first name to Joshua, from Justin.
