A SWAT situation was reported in Chicago's South Austin neighborhood Wednesday afternoon, according to a brief report from FOX 32 Chicago. Beyond the fact that a SWAT response was underway, specific details about the location, cause, or outcome had not been confirmed as of Wednesday evening.
The station's on-air description was limited to a single line: “A SWAT situation is unfolding in South Austin Wednesday afternoon,” according to FOX 32 Chicago. No further information on what prompted the police presence, who may have been involved, or whether anyone was taken into custody was included in that report.
Wednesday's incident adds to recent SWAT activity in South Austin and Austin, with the earlier cases occurring in separate neighborhoods and having distinct circumstances. In one, an armed man prompted a SWAT team call on a Sunday evening in South Austin, according to CBS News Chicago.
A Previous South Austin Standoff
In that earlier case, police said they were called just after 7 p.m. for shots fired near a residential building in the 5400 block of West Washington Boulevard, near Long Avenue, per the same outlet's reporting. Officers said an armed offender had entered an apartment through a rear door, prompting the SWAT callout.
The station's report states that the SWAT team was ultimately able to locate the man and arrest him without incident, and that a gun was recovered from the scene. Police said the man was then taken to Loretto Hospital for evaluation, the outlet noted.
A Separate Domestic Disturbance Call
Another SWAT standoff unfolded nearby in Austin, stemming from a domestic disturbance call. Chicago police officers responded to the 4900 block of West Jackson Boulevard for the disturbance just before 2 a.m. on a Friday morning, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Police called in SWAT backup after a witness told them the suspect had access to two large dogs and a firearm, the Sun-Times reported. The suspect eventually exited the home around 3:45 a.m. and was arrested, police told the paper.
It remains unclear whether Wednesday's South Austin SWAT situation is connected to either of those prior incidents or represents an entirely new matter. No additional details about the cause, people involved, or resolution of Wednesday's response had surfaced beyond the initial FOX 32 report.
