Sheriff’s deputies successfully de-escalated two separate potentially deadly incidents involving subjects who were armed and in a mental crisis in Lake County this week.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded on Tuesday to a residence in unincorporated Deerfield for a report of a man in mental crisis.
While deputies were responding, sheriff’s dispatchers obtained information that the man was armed with a firearm, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
The 911 caller was in fear that the man in distress was going to kill his child and the child’s mother who were both in the home.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived and were able to evacuate the woman and child.
The man in distress barricaded himself in a bathroom with the gun, Covelli said.
Deputies spent nearly two hours communicating with the man to de-escalate the situation.
Covelli said the man agreed to come out of the bathroom without the firearm. He was transported to an area hospital for a mental health evaluation and treatment.
Sheriff’s deputies located the semi-automatic pistol in the bathroom, which they placed into evidence for safekeeping.
The sheriff’s office responded on Thursday to a residence in Volo for a man in a mental crisis threatening suicide.
Deputies arrived and the man retrieved a knife and moved to a different area of the home, Covelli said.
Covelli said deputies spoke to the man in a calm manner and the man, who is a military combat veteran, requested to speak to a fellow combat veteran.
Deputies were able to accommodate the request and put the man in telephone contact with an off-duty member of the sheriff’s office, who is a combat veteran.
The sheriff’s deputies at the scene, along with the off-duty member of the sheriff’s office, de-escalated the situation and convinced the man to go to the hospital, Covelli said.
The man was transported to an area hospital for a mental health evaluation and treatment.
The sheriff’s office utilized the “Clear & Present Danger” protocol through the Illinois State Police and “Red Flag laws” through the local court system following the incidents.
“This is to ensure both people in crisis do not have access to firearms,” Covelli said, calling the two incidents “potentially deadly” had the deputies not successfully de-escalated the situations.
“We place a major emphasis on de-escalation versus rushing to use force. If it were not for the calm disposition of our deputies, along with their desire to be community caretakers, combined with our enhanced training – these situations could have ended in tragedy,” Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said.
“This is just another one of the many reasons I am proud to serve alongside the men and women of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office,” Idleburg said.