Wanted man critically hurt after invading Joliet house with homeowner inside, barricading himself

WILL COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) -- A wanted man is critically injured after invading a Joliet house while its owner was inside and barricading himself for hours on Monday, the Will County Sheriff's Office said.

The man who lives at the home in the 200-block of Romayne Avenue did not want to speak on camera. But he said he was in the home when the suspect entered, and things escalated from there.

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The homeowner told ABC7 that he heard a noise and called out, thinking it was his children coming home early. But then, he was shocked to find a stranger, who told him to be quiet.

Moments later, the homeowner said, a U.S. Marshal got him out of the home safely.

"To know that this happened while he was home, that's very scary, because it could happen to anyone," said neighbor Shawn Montgomery.

This standoff started around 1 p.m. after Will County sheriff's deputies tried to pull the suspect over for "multiple felony warrants."

The man, armed with a gun, drove off and crashed his car in the nearby 200-block of St. Jude Avenue before running through the neighborhood and into the home on Romayne.

Montgomery was outside as officers arrived.

"You see all the officers scrambling, guns drawn, and their shields out, because the guy supposedly has a weapon," he said. "We've just been out here hoping everyone's OK, and everyone's safe, everything goes peacefully."

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Chopper 7 was over the scene as the suspect, a man in his 40s, opened the front door of the home and appeared to put an item on the front porch just before 4 p.m. The man then took the item back inside and closed the door.

Minutes later, a SWAT team used a truck to break down the front door of the home. Multiple flashbangs were fired at the home during what turned into a lengthy standoff.

After hours of negotiating with the suspect, the Will County SWAT team entered the home, where the man was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the sheriff's office said. He was rushed to St. Joseph Medical Center in critical condition.

Roads will be blocked off in the area for the next few hours, the sheriff's office said just before 10 p.m.

Neighbors who live along the block said they were not able to return to their homes as the public was asked to avoid the area around Joyce Road between Jefferson and McDonough streets for much of the day.

The sheriff's office said the Will/Grundy Major Crimes Task Force will take over the investigation.

Marycrest School, Mary Sears Children's Academy and the Joliet Township High School District 204 Administrative building were on lockdown for hours as a precaution. The lockdown has since been lifted, the sheriff announced at 5:30 p.m.

Marycrest School released students on time around 3 p.m. and Mary Sears Children's Academy is allowing parents to pick up their kids.

Further information was not immediately available.

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