Arlington Heights man charged in Thursday’s 7½-hour standoff

Police announced charges Friday for a 50-year-old Arlington Heights man who authorities say illegally entered an Arlington Heights home Thursday and engaged police in a 7½-hour standoff that prompted a soft lockdown at nearby schools and the Arlington Heights Memorial Library.

Alex R. Pacino will appear for a detention hearing Saturday on charges of home invasion and aggravated discharge of a firearm, class X felonies that carry non-probationable sentences ranging from six to 30 years.

About 7:33 a.m. Thursday, Arlington Heights police received a report of a burglary in progress. Homeowners told authorities a man wearing dark clothing and a hoodie had entered the residence through an open overhead garage door. The homeowners responded by locking themselves in a second-floor bedroom and calling 911.

Police arrived to the sound of gunfire. While some officers escorted the residents to safety, others observed a man, later identified as Pacino, attempting to flee through a window.

Pacino subsequently retreated back inside the home. When officers’ efforts to get Pacino to surrender peacefully were unsuccessful, they established a perimeter and contained him to the home.

Later, a SWAT unit from the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System entered the home with an Arlington Heights police dog. They located Pacino in the basement and began negotiating his surrender, police said.

Those attempts continued until the early afternoon when negotiators were able to connect Pacino with a family member and he surrendered, ending the standoff, police said.

Police said the homeowners were unharmed and there was no threat to the community.