Downtown Chicago fed building lockdown, standoff ends after roughly 9 hours, evacuation

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A standoff at the Dirksen Federal Building downtown Chicago ended after roughly nine hours Tuesday night.

Just before 8 p.m., federal agents were seen rushing toward the man who had been standing in the building's lobby since about 11 a.m., with a knife.

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The man was on the ground surrounded before being put on a stretcher.

A Chicago Fire Department ambulance pulled up outside the building.

It was not immediately clear what happened leading up to the sudden movement, if law enforcement forced the end of the standoff or if the man gave up on his own.

The man was seen being taken out on a stretcher, but he appeared alert and conscious, with a wound on his neck. His condition is not known.

A U.S. Marshals spokesperson said he would be taken to a hospital, and no one else was injured in the incident.

A mandatory evacuation order was given to everyone inside the Dirksen earlier in the day, sources told the I-Team.

The order came hours after the building was placed on a lockdown, and all inside had to shelter in place.

Witnesses told ABC7 Chicago a man stormed into the lobby of the federal courthouse at 11 a.m., flailing his hands and armed with a knife.

The FBI said it was investigating the situation at the Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse.

As federal agents rushed in from every direction, U.S. Marshals, who control the famously tight security at the courthouse, rushed attorneys and bystanders in the lobby onto the street.

Agents were seen pointing rifles directly at the lobby as the situation unfolded.

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Witnesses said the incident appeared to have happened in the public area, meaning the suspect did not make it past security.

"I can't hear anything that he's saying," witness Deja Williams said. "I can just see him moving his arm around, making people back up from him. I guess he was making movements to the FBI agents telling them to back up from him."

Sources inside the building told the I-Team that a loud speaker announcement was made as the situation took place.

"What is happening? What's going on, and when are we going to get more information to get out of here?" said Austin Giesey, who had been summoned for jury duty. "We went down the elevator, and there was someone saying, 'stay as quiet as possible, and walk as fast as possible out this door.'"

For hours, a single negotiator appeared to engage the man, dressed in seemingly court-appropriate attire: a blue button down tucked into khakis with a tan backpack slung over one shoulder.

The bomb squad was called in because of the backpack, federal law enforcement sources say.

The suspect paced around and even sipped from a water bottle offered by law enforcement and smoked a cigarette.

By mid-afternoon, a female negotiator stepped in, speaking one-on-one with the man holding up the federal courthouse.

Throughout the evening, the man held up signs on the window that said, "help," "call lawyer" and "no body cam."

It was not clear what he wanted or why he came to the building.

A Chevy sedan with a Nebraska plate and a driver-side window broken out was towed from outside the building.

It's presumably now part of a federal investigation.

Derek Mayer, former Secret Service deputy special agent in charge and ABC law enforcement expert, said the painstaking work by negotiators was done by the best.

"The FBI has the best hostage negotiators in the world. They are doing everything they can to avoid a catastrophic incident," Mayer said.

The investigation continued Tuesday night.

Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI Douglas S. DePodesta said in a statement, "Federal agents courageously put their lives on the line every day to keep our communities safe from harm. I remain grateful that this situation resolved without incident, thanks to the heroic efforts of law enforcement professionals, and in particular, the U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI's SWAT and Crisis Negotiations Teams. The dedicated agents who comprise these highly trained teams ensure that when dangerous situations occur, everyone affected has the best probability of returning home safely."