Des Plaines standoff suspect charged with domestic battery

A Des Plaines man who locked himself in his home for eight hours has been charged with domestic battery and resisting arrest, Des Plaines police said Wednesday.

It took police nearly eight hours to talk 22-year-old Raul Mendez into surrendering during the standoff on the 1700 block of Whitcomb Avenue in Des Plaines.

Police got to the home at about 8 a.m. Tuesday after getting a call alleging domestic battery. They found Mendez locked inside his home and armed with a few knives and a samurai sword, Commander Paul Burger said.

Des Plaines police, along with the Rosemont Police Department and officers from the Northern Illinois Police Action System surrounded the house and closed off a section of the block, Burger said.

The woman involved in the dispute was uninjured and left the house safely, but Mendez would not cooperate with police until approximately 4 p.m., police said.

"He just didn't want to turn himself over," Burger said.

Negotiators on the scene were able to talk with Mendez on a telephone during the standoff, Burger said.

Mendez pulled out a knife and made a few self-inflicted wounds, Burger said.

Police got close enough to the home to speak directly with Mendez just before 4 p.m. and were able to convince him to surrender peacefully, Burger said.

He was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge to be treated for wounds. His condition is unknown, officials said.

• Daily Herald Staff Writer Lee Filas contributed to this story.