Misdemeanor charges were filed against a wanted man that barricaded himself inside a hotel room in Gurnee for hours before surrendering to a SWAT team Friday morning.
26-year-old Keith C. Populorum was charged with disorderly conduct, a Class C misdemeanor, and resisting a peace officer, a Class A misdemeanor.
The Gurnee Police Department said that officers were conducting a business check at the FairBridge Inn Express, 3740 Grand Avenue.
The registration of a vehicle in the parking lot indicated the owner, identified as Populorum, had an active felony warrant for retail theft in Fox Lake.
Gurnee police officers went into the hotel and made contact with Populorum shortly before 9:00 a.m. at his hotel room, which is where he was residing. The man was told he was under arrest and given multiple commands to exit the room, police said.
Populorum refused to comply with the officers’ requests, barricaded himself in the room and implied he had a weapon, police said. No one else was inside the hotel room at the time.
Officers set up a perimeter around the hotel and evacuated the surrounding area. The Northern Illinois Police Alarm System (NIPAS) was activated, bringing additional police officers and SWAT to the scene to aid with the situation.
“After speaking with negotiators for several hours, the man surrendered peacefully without incident. No officers were injured and there was no threat to the public,” police officials said in a statement.
It was determined Populorum did not actually have a weapon, police said. He was not injured but was transported to a local hospital for a medical evaluation.
Populorum has since been released from the hospital and was transported to the Gurnee Police Department and booked on the charges resulting from the standoff.
He is currently being held at the Lake County Jail for his original warrant while he awaits bond court.