Police Standoff Leaves Suburban Landlord With Damaged Home, Nowhere to Live

A police standoff that grabbed headlines in July continues to wreak havoc on an Antioch homeowner who was left with no place to live after the barricade situation caused thousands of dollars in damage and made her home uninhabitable.

On that summer day, police spent hours trying to get Drue Syria’s tenant out of the suburban home, and in the process fired multiple rounds of tear gas through her windows. Syria said the toxic chemical permeated everything inside.

"It was all toxic in there so you couldn’t go in,” Syria recalled. “After the whole episode was over, I was left with my robe and no shoes. No money, no charge card. Nothing."

When Syria filed a claim with her homeowners insurance, American Family denied it, and pointed to a surprising clause: damage “caused by actions by a governmental body” or “by controlled chemicals or hazardous substances” are not covered. American Family Insurance told NBC 5 Responds this is a common practice industry wide.

"They denied me. And I cried and cried and cried," Syria said.

The 72-year-old said she also turned to the Village of Antioch for assistance to fix the damage done to her home by police.

"I’m sitting crying at city hall and I said, ‘You don’t even have a social worker?’ Nothing. Not a penny," Syria said.

When asked why no assistance was given, Village Administrator Jim Keim told NBC 5 Responds “it is aware of the difficult position Drue Syria has found herself in. The Village, while very sympathetic toward her current situation, is not legally able to help her with the things she’s requesting. The news stories on this situation have been generally accurate, but critical details that led to this current situation should be considered.

“The tenant she took in turned out to be a well- documented criminal who caused a hostage crisis that required the combined tactical personnel of over 12 police departments,” Keim added. “Many thousands of dollars of taxpayers’ money were used to defuse the situation, get the tenant out of the building and into custody while protecting her and the hundreds of residents and children nearby. This incident shut down a significant portion of the Village for an afternoon while our police and the other responding officers managed the scene with a very high degree of competency. The Village does not give taxpayers’ money to private individuals. While we can all sympathize with her plight, it was her own series of choices that brought about this result, and we cannot dedicate tax dollars to cleaning up the mess she found herself in. We certainly have tried to give her as much guidance as we could about alternative living arrangements and suggested local charitable organizations that might be able to help, but we believe we are not lawfully able to provide the money she’s looking for.”

Many homeowners whose property was previously damaged in police raids have successfully sued to get damage paid for. Many have also sued, and lost.

When NBC 5 Responds asked American Family Insurance to clarify its policy, the company reversed its denial. A company spokesperson said “it evaluates each claim on its own merits.”

“We’re pleased we were able to work with Ms. Syria throughout the claims process and that she is satisfied with the outcome. American Family will continue to work with her to finalize her claim as repairs are made and she moves back into her home – which we hope is very soon,” the spokesman said.

The estimated $46,000 cleanup and repair job is now underway, giving Syria back a place to live and a voice she said was not being heard.

"NBC 5 really stepped up to the plate,” she said.

Contact Us