Two-day hostage crisis outside Chicago ends peacefully

A two-day hostage crisis in the suburban Chicago community of Harvey, Illinois has come to an end with the arrest of two suspects.

The Associated Press reports the crisis began at 12:45 p.m. local time Aug. 19. At that time, Harvey police received a call from a member of the community about a possible burglary in progress.

Police arrived on the scene shortly thereafter, and an exchange of gunfire then ensued. The suspects then barricaded themselves in the house and took eight hostages, six of which were children. SWAT teams with armored vehicles and numerous officers with assault rifles responded to the scene.  

ABC 7 reports that two officers were injured in that initial gunfight, including an 18-year veteran. Both officers suffered injuries to their arms. The 18-year veteran was shot in the arm and remains in the hospital, while the other officers was just grazed by a bullet.

After intense negotiations that lasted through the night, four of the eight hostages were released. They were all children, according to the AP.

The police maintained contact with the suspects for the entirety of the crisis.

On the morning of Aug. 20, police armed with shields and assault rifles stormed the house where the suspects and four remaining hostages were being held. The four hostages were two children and two women. The police whisked the hostages out of the house before the suspects were brought out of the house in handcuffs. The rescue and arrests took place around 9:30 a.m. local time Aug. 20.

Not a single shot was fired during the rescue operation. ABC 7 said that 200 officers from 20 different agencies were present for the standoff. They had rotations of four or five hours to avoid fatigue.