Police shot a man after he allegedly attempted to rob a bank and held an elderly man at knifepoint as a human shield in suburban North Riverside Tuesday, authorities confirmed.
The man police shot, 41, of Chicago, has not yet been identified and was taken into custody and transported to Loyola Hospital. No bystanders were injured during the incident, the North Riverside Police Department said in a news release.
North Riverside Police Sgt. Dion Bobo confirmed there was an officer-involved shooting at the scene. Police tape was seen around the Burlington Coat Factory at the mall.
Officers responded to an attempted bank robbery at TCT Bank on the 7200 block of West 24th street about 12:28 p.m., police said.
“Officers made contact with the suspect walking north along the strip stores east of TCF bank and ordered him to the ground,” the release reads. “The suspect ignored the officer’s commands, removed an object from his pocket and pointed it directly at them.”
Police said the man then fled on foot into the Burlington Coat Factory where he then pointed the object at police several times. The man then grabbed an elderly bystander and held him “at knifepoint in an attempt to use him as a human shield,” police said.
“The man resisted and pulled away from the suspect enough to allow officers to discharge their firearms striking the offender,” the release says.
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One witness, Frank Tortorich, reported a man walked into a store before being swarmed by police. He said he heard five or six shots fired in the area at the time.
The Illinois State Police Public Integrity Task Force is now investigating.
