SWAT standoff enters 14th hour with escaped Mississippi detainee on Near West Side

An escaped Mississippi detainee has been holed up inside a restaurant on the city's Near West Side for more than 14 hours, officials said.

Joshua Zimmerman, 30, was inside a restaurant in the 2300 block of West Madison Street when he barricaded himself, Justin Smith, chief deputy with the DeSoto County Mississippi sheriff's office told reporters Tuesday evening.

"We know that he's by himself in there," Smith said. "There is no innocent civilians, it's only Zimmerman inside the building."

The standoff, happening in the same neighborhood as the United Center where the Democratic National Convention is underway, began began around 4 p.m. Tuesday Chicago police said but didn't immediately share further details.

Zimmerman was charged with multiple felonies including attempted murder, the sheriff's office said. He escaped from the DeSoto County courthouse before he was set to appear for a hearing June 14. He is also facing murder charges in Texas.

The United States Marshals Service notified Mississippi officials that Zimmerman was found in Chicago Tuesday afternoon, but few details beyond that were immediately available, Smith told reporters.

"We've been investigating this for 68 days," Smith said. "That's why we're excited to actually get a chance to sit down with Zimmerman and get some more facts."

Traffic in the area is only slightly affected by the standoff only blocks from the DNC, police say. Attendees can get to the convention as they have in prior days despite a "limited" area near Madison Street and Western Avenue.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.