Edens Expressway standoff in Skokie ends with 1 in custody
SKOKIE, Ill. (WLS) -- One person was taken into custody after a nearly 4-hour-long standoff on the Edens Expressway in north suburban Skokie Wednesday.
The incident at Old Orchard Road ended with a bang, but apparently with no loss of life as Illinois State Police took an individual into custody.
Negotiators used faith and friendliness to coax a 54-year-old female driver from Michigan from the cab of a semi-trailer that was stopped on the Edens outbound ramp to Old Orchard Road. The driver was seen opening the cab's door to communicate with police before going back in and closing the door while officers had their guns drawn.
The tension explained why Illinois State Police troopers blocked traffic on both sides of the Edens.
Before the bang, officers with guns drawn staked out the truck and could be heard calling for the driver to exit the cab.
A woman could be seen yelling at police and gesturing throughout the ordeal.
Eventually the driver surrendered, but not without halting a series of approaches and retreats around the truck, which ended when troopers moved in.
The incident had shut down I-94 in both directions between Dempster Street and Skokie Boulevard. At about 12:50 p.m., the southbound lanes of I-94 re-opened and the northbound lanes reopened shortly after.
The individual taken into custody is at a Skokie hospital, Illinois State Police said.
The events that led up to the standoff remain unknown.
