A suspect was taken into custody after he was found hiding in a farmer's barn in unincorporated Will County following an hourslong manhunt that forced area residents to stay indoors early Wednesday, police said.
A suspect was "apprehended" just after 10 a.m., according to Wilmington police, roughly four hours after officers began their search for a man they believed to be armed and dangerous. City Administrator Joie Ziller said a "shelter in place" for the Chicago suburb was lifted around 10:10 a.m.
"This has been going on since about 2 a.m. so to finally know that everyone's in custody and no one got hurt, that's the the big thing," Chief Phillip Arnold said.
The incident began as Illinois State Police chased two alleged car jackers from Calumet City before the vehicle crashing through a fence in Wilmington and the suspects fled the scene.
Several law enforcement agencies joined in a manhunt for the two suspects, one of whom was taken into custody after hiding under a trampoline in the backyard of a home in the Northcrest area, officials said.
Area residents said the man entered a home in the neighborhood but the homeowner was armed and the suspect ran away.
"I won't fire a shot if you leave now," the homeowner, who asked to not be identified, said he told the man. "He said, 'I'm not leaving.' I said, 'Well, just go out the way you came and I won't shoot again. He said, 'I don't want to die tonight' and I said 'Well you shouldn't be in somebody's house.' And he took off out the back door."
Local
At about 6 a.m., police in the far southwest suburban community asked that anyone in the Northcrest area, located near the intersection of East Kankakee River Drive and North Kankakee Street, stay inside behind locked doors, until further notice.
The second suspect was spotted several times throughout the rural community but it wasn't until a farmer said he saw movement near his barn that police were able to make an arrest, Arnold said.
No weapon was found at the scene, according to authorities.
Wilmington School District 209-U canceled all classes Wednesday "due to a local safety & law enforcement situation," the district wrote on Facebook.
Classes remained canceled after the manhunt ended, the district said.
"Very sorry for any inconvenience, but the safety & well-being of our students and staff is always the number one priority," the post read. "Will look forward to seeing our students back in class again [Thursday] morning."
No charges had been filed as of 11 a.m. Wednesday, but police said they were expected.
