After months on the lam, Joshua Zimmerman, the DeSoto County inmate who is accused of walking out of a Hernando courthouse, has been detained following an hourslong standoff at a Chicago restaurant. According to Action News 5, Zimmerman was found by U.S. Marshals, barricaded alone inside Seafood Junction, located at 2325 West Madison Street in Chicago, not far from the bustling Democratic National Convention at the United Center.
The standoff occurred nearly 70 days after Zimmerman managed to slip away unnoticed from the courthouse where he was facing charges related to attempted murder and robbery. As reported by FOX13 Memphis, Zimmerman also faces a murder charge out of Houston, Texas. The escape prompted a large-scale manhunt, during which the reward for information leading to his capture was raised to a sum of $15,000.
Details about the tense encounter indicated that Zimmerman was eating at the time U.S. Marshals located him, as per a statement from the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Deputy Chief Justin Smith, obtained by WREG. Efforts were made to negotiate his peaceful surrender as the area around the restaurant was cordoned off and streets were closed due to police activity.
SWAT officers and U.S. Marshals, outfitted in tactical gear, surrounded the restaurant, and after an extensive operation, Zimmerman was taken into custody, reported FOX13 Memphis. Chief Deputy Smith expressed his department’s intention to start the extradition process for Zimmerman.
Zimmerman's escape in June involved a remarkable feat where, after being escorted inside the courthouse in shackles and a jumpsuit, he broke from the line, changed into street clothes, and exited the building undetected. This information was shared with WREG by Sheriff Bill Rasco back in June. Now in custody, law enforcement hopes to unravel the full tale behind Zimmerman's escape and bring closure to the ordeal.
