Eight-hour standoff ends peacefully in Arlington Heights
A 39-year-old Arlington Heights man was being held Wednesday after a tense, eight-hour standoff on the 900 block of Harvard Avenue that ended about 4:30 a.m.
The man surrendered after police officers launched tear gas canisters into the home when negotiations failed, Arlington Heights police Cmdr. Ken Galinski said.
Galinski said a neighbor of the man, who lives alone, called police about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, saying he heard gunshots inside the home and saw the man with a handgun.
Galinski said the first officer responding to the call heard seven or eight shots fired inside the home while getting out of his car.
"When the second officer arrived on scene, another four or five shots were fired, which of course prompted the officers to take cover," he said. "The bullets were not coming through the doors or windows. The shots were all being contained inside the house."
He said officers set up a perimeter around the home and tried to make contact with the man.
When the man refused to answer, Galinski said supervisors called in the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System team, armed with high-powered weapons. The team surrounded the home.
About midnight, Galinski said the man answered the phone and began to negotiate with police.
"He said he was playing with an old black powder gun and some blasting caps, that there was nothing wrong, and then said the police could leave," he said. "We told him we were unable to do that, so he asked if one officer would come to the door so he could show him the gun, and then the whole thing would be cleared up."
Galinski said after police refused to send the one officer, negotiations broke down and the man donned a military helmet and vest inside the home. The man threatened the negotiator and stated he would kill police officers, police reports said.
Police used an armored truck to evacuate more than 20 homes in the area about 2:30 a.m. The residents were housed at the Lutheran Home, 800 W. Oakton, until the all-clear was given at 5:30 a.m.
Galinski said the NIPAS team launched "numerous tear gas canisters" through windows to flush the man out. He immediately began to suffer effects and quickly exited the home, complying with orders to turn himself in peacefully.
The man was "heavily intoxicated" when taken into custody, Galinski said. He was transported to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, where he was to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, he said. The man hadn't been charged as of late Wednesday.
Officers conducting an initial search of the house in case there were victims saw a quantity of firearms and ammunition and evidence of gunshots into the walls. Galinski said that while no one was injured, people heard about 40 rounds being fired. No bullets escaped the home.
Police were obtaining a search warrant and planned to check late Wednesday for additional weapons in the home.
"We are not sure at this point what set him off, but we are glad it ended without any injuries," Galinski said.