Bloomingdale hostage situation ends with self-inflicted gunshot

A hostage situation in Bloomingdale ended with a man shooting himself and being rushed to the hospital Thursday night.

Bloomingdale police first arrived at the Wilshire Towers apartment complex at about 3 p.m. and began negotiating with a 31-year-old man holding his girlfriend captive with a handgun, police said.

Police evacuated most residents from the complex and diverted traffic away from Regency Drive for about six hours.

Bloomingdale officers attempted to negotiate with the suspect for several hours, during which time the female was able to escape, police said. During subsequent negotiations shots were heard emanating from inside the apartment.

"Officers heard shots being fired from inside the apartment," Deputy Police Chief Bruce Beck said. "We then entered the apartment and found the offender with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound."

Beck said the man's girlfriend was emotionally distraught but not physically harmed.

An ambulance rushed the man to Adventist GlenOaks Medical Center in Glendale Heights.

Beck said the man was still alive when he was taken from the scene. Police are not yet releasing his identification. Beck said if the man survives his injuries, charges will likely be filed later this morning.

Regency Drive was open to traffic by 9:30 p.m. Beck said most of the apartment complex was reopened to residents at about the same time.

The incident remains under investigation by the police department and the DuPage County Major Crime Task Force. Charges against the 31-year-old man will not be filed until after the investigation is completed, Beck said.