Escaped Mississippi murder suspect arrested after standoff at Chicago restaurant near DNC

A murder suspect who escaped from a Mississippi courthouse in June was arrested in Chicago on Wednesday morning after a standoff with police at a restaurant just blocks from the Democratic National Convention, authorities said.

Joshua Zimmerman barricaded himself inside the Seafood Junction restaurant, about half a mile from the United Center, where the convention is being held, the U.S. Marshals Service said.

Zimmerman had been sought by the U.S. Marshals Service since his escape from the circuit court building in Hernando, Mississippi, where he was being held on attempted murder and armed robbery charges, the agency said. 

At the time of the escape, Zimmerman was also awaiting extradition to Houston, Texas, where officials said he was charged with murder.

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It wasn’t immediately clear how authorities had tracked Zimmerman to Chicago and there was no indication of any connection to the DNC.

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Authorities believe Zimmerman was working at the restaurant, FOX32 Chicago reported. When local authorities went to investigate a lead at the restaurant on Tuesday afternoon, Zimmerman reportedly holed himself up in the ceiling, where he barricaded himself in an hourslong standoff with police.

Justin Smith, chief deputy with the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office in Mississippi, told reporters that authorities want to bring Zimmerman back to Mississippi and “gather the remaining facts surrounding his escape.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.