A man claiming to be a sovereign citizen was placed into custody Tuesday down state in McDonough County following a standoff, the sheriff told WGEM.
Sheriff Rick VanBrooker told the NBC affiliate the man barricaded himself inside of his car with a knife near the intersection of Highway 136 and Highway 41, east of Macomb. He said they tried to negotiate with the man, but eventually deputies broke the window and the man surrendered.
VanBrooker didn't reveal the man's identity yet but said more information would be released Wednesday.
A dispatcher at the sheriff's office said a press release on the incident would be released Wednesday morning.
The suspect faces charges of resisting arrest, obstructing justice and several traffic violations, WGEM reports.
Authorities have linked the “sovereign citizens” movement to the killing of police officers in the past, NBC News reports.
The FBI, in a public alert about the “sovereign citizens” movement in 2010, said that adherents don’t believe they have to answer to government authority. They set up sham courts and clog the real justice system with frivolous lawsuits, the FBI said.
