Two FBI Agents Shot Serving Arrest Warrant In Park Forest; Suspect Dead
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two FBI agents were shot Tuesday morning while serving an arrest warrant in far south suburban Park Forest, and the suspect they were after was later found dead.
The operation began around 6:30 a.m., as an FBI SWAT team descended on a home on Rich Court to execute an arrest warrant.
When it was over, two FBI agents had been shot, and the suspect had been killed.
"During the arrest, two FBI agents suffered non life threatening gunshot wounds. The suspect was later found in the residence deceased," FBI spokesman Garrett Croon said.
The suspect has been identified as 50-year-old Melvin Toran. According to Illinois Department of Corrections, he was convicted of murder in 1986, and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He also has previous convictions for illegal gun possession, robbery, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and heroin charges.
Toran was a gang member who was a target in an FBI drug investigation. The raid was one of several targeting gang members today.
According to a statement from the U.S. attorney issued Tuesday evening, Toran was a high-ranking member of the Black P-Stone Nation street gang. He was set to be charged in federal court with distributing heroin.
Several other defendants will be charged in criminal complaints to be filed in federal court in Chicago, the statement said. One defendant will be charged in a complaint filed in state court.
The sound of gunfire at the home on Rich Court startled neighbors in a quiet corner of Park Forest, lined with ranch homes and tidy lawns. Armored vehicles and heavily armed personnel dressed in fatigues swarmed the area as neighbors looked on.
"I seen a lot of cop cars, and tanks, and the FBI came; everything. And then they started shooting tear gas into his home, trying to get him to come out, I guess," Scott Smith said. "I heard them pumping it into his house. It was like BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. It was like five different times they pumped it into his house."
Neighbors said they had seen the suspect walking his dog in the area before, but did not know him. They said he seemed friendly, but the FBI said they only send SWAT teams after the worst of the worst.
A neighbor said he heard the homeowner had several weapons, but authorities have not confirmed that information.
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The home is near Rich East High School in Park Forest, but officials at Rich Township High School District 227 did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
However, officials at Park Forest-Chicago Heights School District 163 told students in Park Forest not to come to school Tuesday morning while the incident was ongoing. Later, the district said bus service would resume at 9:15 a.m., and students could walk to school.
"School is in session. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have presented to parents, however the students safety is our first concern," the district said on its website.
One of the agents who was shot was treated and released at Franciscan St. James Health in Olympia Fields. The other agent was also treated and released at an undisclosed hospital.
