Sep 5, 2008 3:45 pm US/Central
Hostages Taken At Ill. Bank; Suspect Shot Dead
WHEATON, Ill. (AP) ―
People were seen fleeing a bank building in the Wheaton area of Chicago Friday afternoon, in what is being reported as a hostage situation, according to CBS station WBBM-TV in Chicago.
People were seen running from the building just before 3 p.m., surrounded by armed law enforcement agents. They were taken down several streets and alleyways, away from the building.
A witness tells CBS Station WBBM, police have blocked off streets in the area and a number of squad cars have gathered surrounding the Wheaton Bank & Trust building, 211 S. Wheaton Ave.
Police and emergency crews swarmed the area around the bank in downtown Wheaton Friday afternoon, ordering the evacuation of nearby office buildings and businesses.
The city issued a statement saying: "There is a hostage situation that is occurring at the bank and is involving one suspect."
Metra spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet says all trains on the Union Pacific West line that passes through the city have been halted.
Wheaton is 20 miles west of Chicago.
Police now say a man who took hostages at a bank in suburban Chicago is dead.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
