Mundelein man held on $100,000 bail in Vernon Hills police station shooting
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A Mundelein man who was shot inside the Vernon Hills police station has been charged with aggravated assault of a peace officer with a weapon and remains in Lake County jail.
Howard Lazarus, 53, of the 0-100 block of North Bristol Court, is due to appear before Judge Raymond Collins on May 6, but that date could be pushed back depending on whether a grand jury indicts him on additional charges.
Greg Ticsay, of the Lake County Public Defender's Office, said Lazarus was picked up from Advocate Condell Medical Center late Friday afternoon and taken to the Lake County jail, where he has remained.
He was ordered held there after being unable to post the required 10 percent of his $100,000 bail, Ticsay said. A preliminary hearing was held Monday.
Authorities say Lazarus walked into the Vernon Hills police station on Lakeview Parkway about midnight on April 3 and asked to meet with an officer regarding a traffic accident.
After the veteran officer walked into the lobby and spoke a short time with Lazarus, the Mundelein man pulled out a realistic-looking fake handgun and pointed it at the officer.
After some negotiating, the officer was forced to open fire, discharging two rounds from his weapon, authorities said. One hit Lazarus in the abdomen, while the second shattered the front glass door.
Authorities later found a handwritten note in Lazarus' pocket, and police believe he went to the station to die. The note said he was dying from cancer and "couldn't do the deed myself," authorities said.
