Man With Box Cutter Confronts Employee, Barricades Himself In Vape Shop: Des Plaines PD

DES PLAINES, IL — A 26-year-old resident is in custody after police said he confronted a store employee with a box cutter Friday morning before barricading himself inside the business for several hours.

Des Plaines police said they were able to eventually negotiate the surrender of Leonard G. Puscasu, 26, without incident. As of Saturday afternoon, no charges in the case have been filed as an investigation continues.

Police responded to Vortex Vapes, 1564 Rand Road, at around 8:59 a.m. Officers learned the employee was able to flee the store while Puscasu remained inside and barricaded himself in the business.

The Des Plaines Police Tactical Response Team then responded to the scene, and were able to take Puscasu into custody. There were no reported injuries.

The incident affected other businesses in the area as police worked the scene. According to police, businesses in the strip mall were closed for approximately four hours during the response.

Police later cleared the area, eventually declaring it safe for travel and the businesses re-opened.