'Suicide By Cop' Attempted By Tenant During Eviction: Sheriff

NORTH CHICAGO, IL — A man being evicted from his North Chicago apartment Monday led sheriff's deputies to believe was he was armed and may have bobby-trapped the building, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

According to the sheriff's office, deputies were enforcing an eviction order that had been ordered and scheduled prior to the coronavirus pandemic, one of several exceptions to the eviction moratorium, which was recently extended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

When three deputies arrived around 10 a.m. at an apartment building in the 1700 block of Sheridan Road, the 58-year-old man being evicted told them he knew why they had come — but he was not going to leave, according to a spokesperson for the sheriff's office.

The man told deputies that he had a device rigged to the door and that they would "be sorry" if they tried to enter, the spokesperson said. The tenant also told the deputies that they should evacuate other tenants from the building.

The deputies also reported hearing what sounded like the slides of firearms being racked and a loud "pop" sound, which was later determined to be fireworks the man had ignited inside the apartment, the spokesperson said.

The sheriff's office evacuated the building and called in a tactical response team, officers from the North Chicago Police Department and negotiators from the sheriff's office.

“This was incredibly concerning and downright scary to all of the occupants in the apartment building," Sheriff John Idleburg said in a release. "I could not be prouder of all of our staff involved in this incident, for their quick actions of evacuating all of the building’s occupants to safety and also showing tremendous restraint in their interaction with this man."

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After more than an hour of negotiations, deputies learned the man did not actually have a bomb but had made the comments to keep deputies out of his apartment, according to the sheriff's office.

"There is no doubt, this incident could have ended much differently if it were not for the professionalism, training, and experience of my staff,” Idleburg said.

A bomb squad from the Waukegan Fire Department arrived and determined there were no explosives planted in the apartment. The man was taken to an area hospital for a mental health evaluation. The sheriff's office spokesperson said criminal charges are likely to be filed in the future.

The preliminary investigation into the incident indicates the tenant was attempting a "suicide by cop," according to the spokesperson, who said the man explained to authorities that he planned on pointing a gun at the deputies.