Man At Center Of 'Standoff' Error Won't Be Charged
OAK FOREST, Ill. (WBBM) -- Authorities in Oak Forest say there will be no criminal charges against a 44-year-old man who had the police mobilized a week ago to respond to a standoff that wasn't really a standoff.
During the nearly eight-hour ordeal, police evacuated a one-block street and surrounded a home because they thought there might be hostages inside and a gunman and maybe explosives. It turned out, the man thought to be at the center of the standoff was actually in a bar.
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Oak Forest Police Chief Greg Anderson said Thursday it wasn't really a hoax, so there will be no criminal charges against the man.
Anderson says police were acting on information from some of the man's friends.
"They were extremely concerned about his well-being and what he was saying. Their take on it was that he was at home," he says.
Chief Anderson says the man never claimed to be at home.
Anderson says Oak Forest also probably cannot ask for compensation for what the whole ordeal cost the police –- about $10,000.
Asked if he would've done anything differently, Anderson said: "We would've done it exactly the same way."
