A Waukegan man has been charged with attacking multiple family members, leaving them injured, and leading police on a nine-hour standoff that ended with a SWAT team arresting him.
The incident began around 8 a.m. Tuesday at a house in the 1800 block of West Ridgeland Avenue in Waukegan.
Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Brian Mullen said officers responded to a domestic battery call.
Officers located three adult victims with injuries.
Two of them sustained minor injuries and the third sustained “moderate injuries,” Mullen said.
The Waukegan Fire Department transported two of the victims to area hospitals for treatment. Both victims were treated and released.
The suspect, identified as Andre Steele, 51, of Waukegan, retreated into the home when officers arrived and refused to come out, leading to a lengthy standoff.
Prosecutors said Steele had been acting erratic earlier and threatened to kill two of the victims before dragging both of them around the basement.
Steele later threw bricks at the victims. One of the victims was struck in the head by a brick, requiring multiple stitches to close the wound.
The Waukegan Police Department shut down both directions of vehicle traffic on Ridgeland Avenue just east of Lewis Avenue.
Mullen said officers were communicating regularly with Steele to arrange for a peaceful surrender.
The Waukegan Police Department requested the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System Emergency Services Team.
The Emergency Services Team is a SWAT team that responds to standoff, hostage and other high-risk scenes.
School officials for multiple schools in the area — Whittier Elementary, Edith Smith Middle School and Glenwood Elementary — said they were aware of the incident.
The incident was not impacting any of the school buildings and police did not believe there was any threat to the schools.
Police arrested Steele around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday after he peacefully surrendered, Mullen said.
Steele was charged with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated domestic battery and domestic battery.
Steele remains held in the Lake County Jail on a $200,000 bond. He would need to post $20,000 cash in order to be released.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 16.