CHICAGO — Escaped DeSoto County inmate Joshua Zimmerman is now in custody after being barricaded inside a Chicago restaurant, deputies confirmed Wednesday morning.
The DeSoto County Sheriff's Office said U.S. Marshals found Zimmerman, Tuesday, Aug. 20, inside a Chicago restaurant, where he was barricaded by SWAT. This update came in around 5:30 p.m.
ABC7 Chicago confirmed to ABC24 that Zimmerman was barricaded at Seafood Junction in 2325 W Madison St. The Associated Press reported the restaurant is about a half-mile from the United Center of Chicago, where the Democratic National Convention was being held.
Video of the scene from ABC7 shows Chicago Police, Sheriff's Deputies, and FBI on the scene. Chicago Police said the suspect was taken into custody about 7:20 a.m. Wednesday morning.
The DeSoto County Sheriff's Office said Zimmerman escaped on June 14, 2024, from the DeSoto County courthouse, where he had been scheduled for a hearing.
Authorities held a press conference Tuesday night regarding the situation, which can be viewed below:
DeSoto County Sheriff Thomas E. Tuggle released the following statement Wednesday morning after news of Zimmerman's capture:
"I want to express my deepest gratitude to the citizens of this county for their unwavering support, prayers, and numerous calls during the extensive search for Jousha Zimmerman. Zimmerman has been taken into custody, and our team is already on the ground in Chicago, fully prepared to commence the next phase of our investigation. I cannot emphasize the importance of the strong law enforcement partnerships and networking alliances we have cultivated with agencies nationwide, which played a crucial role in Zimmerman's apprehension.
A special thank you goes to the U.S. Marshal Office in Mississippi, U.S. Marshal Ladon Reynolds (Illinois Northern Region U.S. Marshal), the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations, The Mississippi Highway Patrol, The Chicago Police Department, and all the local agencies involved. Additionally, I would like to acknowledge the Board of Supervisors for their invaluable support.
This arrest is the culmination of two months of intense effort and underscores our determination to hold criminals accountable. Throughout this investigation, we have operated with the utmost discretion. True professionals understand the importance of maintaining silence during the hunt, and we will continue to strictly adhere to this principle."
The escape
The sheriff’s office said Zimmerman was arrested by Southaven Police and charged with several felonies, including attempted murder. He was also awaiting extradition to Houston, Texas, where he’s been charged with murder, the U.S. Marshals Service said.
He was being held at the DeSoto County Adult Detention Center ahead of his morning hearing on Friday, June 14, when he reportedly escaped. He was being held originally on a total of $1,075,000 bond, according to jail records.
DeSoto County Sheriff Thomas E. Tuggle said during a press conference on June 19 that moments after Zimmerman removed his handcuffs and escaped custody inside the courthouse, he ran to a nearby gas station asking for a ride and was able to convince one man to drive him to Memphis.
D.A. investigation
On June 20, DeSoto County District Attorney Barton announced his office would open an investigation into how Zimmerman escaped from custody, and why video of his escape was deleted from his servers, according to Barton.
"My investigators ... obtained video footage of what happened ... it did not take long for us to uncover a conspiracy to cover-up and suppress certain evidence regarding the escape of Joshua Zimmerman," Barton said. "Some co-conspirators from an outside entity, not the State of Mississippi, directed the county IT to go onto my server and delete state's evidence."
Barton said that he would give the case to a grand jury to assess and inspect with regards to the escape and then issue a finding.
Barton would not identify any organization by name that he said took the state’s evidence from his server, but the grand jury investigation would let the people decide.
