A Deerfield man gave police a countdown before intentionally lighting a match that sparked a fire in a gas-filled home just before an hours-long police standoff, authorities said.
George H. Miller, 21, of Deerfield, also tried to stab officers with a homemade spear made out of knives and threw a training pad affixed with knives at officers during the standoff in the 400 block of Deerfield Road at 11:55 a.m. on April 23, authorities said.
Charges have been filed against Miller for intentionally lighting the house ablaze and trying to attack officers.
His actions resulted in a more than two-hour standoff with a SWAT team in Deerfield that resulted in officers being injured.
The Deerfield Police Department responded around 11:55 a.m. on April 23 for a report of a well-being check.
Officers made contact with the adult male subject, later identified as Miller.
Miller made threatening comments and retreated into the home where weapons were reported to possibly be present, police officials said.
Police officials said the assistance of numerous surrounding police agencies and the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System Emergency Services Team (NIPAS EST) was requested to assist.
Police officers began securing the immediate scene and the surrounding area.
The Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Protection District responded to the scene to stand by.
Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Ray Larson said fire crews were staging and working with the police department when a small fire began in the front room of the two-story, single-family home.
A fire also occurred in a second-floor bedroom. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire from the outside.
Miller was experiencing a mental health episode and surrendered himself to law enforcement personnel around 2:40 p.m.
Miller was transported to a local hospital for an evaluation, Larson said.
Larson said a firefighter and a police officer both suffered injuries from falling debris during the incident.
They were transported to the hospital for treatment and later released.
The Glenview, Wheeling, Northfield, Mundelein, and Long Grove fire departments covered Deerfield fire stations.
Deerfield Road was shut down from Beverly Court to Rosemary Terrace due to the incident.
While in the hospital, Miller was charged with two counts of aggravated arson causing injury to an emergency worker, a Class X felony; residential arson, a Class 1 felony; and two counts of aggravated assault of a peace officer, a Class 4 felony.
Miller was taken into custody Tuesday after he was released from the hospital and appeared before Lake County Circuit Court Judge Michael Nerheim Wednesday afternoon.
During that detention hearing, Assistant Lake County State’s Attorney Emily Shanley-Roberts said Miller and his parents were involved in a verbal argument earlier in the day, and he still hadn’t calmed down before the standoff.
When officers responded to the scene, they smelled a high concentration of gas when they entered the home and found Miller pointing a small crossbow at them.
He then threatened to burn the home down, then pulled out matches and started counting down as to “imply he would light the match at zero,” Shanley-Roberts said.
Miller lit the match as officers were retreating, causing the entryway of the home to become engulfed in flames, Shanley-Roberts said.
Officers tried to put out the flames and pull Miller out, Shanley-Roberts said, but Miller threw a homemade spear at officers made of a 5-foot-long stick that had knives affixed to the end.
Miller also had knives sticking out of a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) pad and threw it at officers, Shanley-Roberts said.
Officers and firefighters retreated, resulting in a 2-hour-long standoff between Miller and members of the SWAT team, Shanley-Roberts said.
After Miller surrendered peacefully and was sent to the hospital, Shaley-Roberts said officers recovered numerous containers of alcohol and Molotov cocktails that were seemingly designed as traps for officers and firefighters.
During the inspection, a ceiling damaged by the fire collapsed on an officer and an arson investigator, Shanley-Roberts said.
Defense attorney Elliot Pinsel said Miller was suffering from a mental issue at the time of the incident, and pushed to have Miller transferred to a mental health facility in Evanston.
However, Nerheim ordered Miller held until trial because the mental health facility Pinsel was asking to send Miller to was not a locked facility.
Miller is due back in court on May 25 for arraignment.