CNN
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Authorities have arrested Joshua Zimmerman, a Mississippi inmate who escaped two months ago and barricaded himself in a Chicago restaurant where he had apparently found work, the U.S. Marshals Service said Wednesday.
No further details were initially released about Zimmerman’s arrest, including whether he was armed or whether anyone was injured.
Zimmerman, who is wanted in at least three states on multiple charges, barricaded himself in a seafood restaurant just blocks from the Democratic National Convention venue on Tuesday, the U.S. Marshals Service said.
Zimmerman, 30, “escaped from the Desoto County (Mississippi) Jail on June 14, where he was being held on armed robbery and attempted murder charges,” the Marshals Service said in a statement Tuesday. DeSoto County is in northwest Mississippi, about 25 miles south of Memphis.
It is unclear how and why Zimmerman traveled to Chicago or whether he knew people in the area, said Justin Smith, DeSoto County deputy sheriff.
However, “USMS investigators recently received information that Zimmerman was in Chicago and sent an additional lead to the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, which identified Zimmerman at a seafood restaurant in the 2300 block of Madison Street, where he was believed to be working,” the U.S. Marshals Service said.
“During the arrest attempt, Zimmerman retreated into the ceiling and barricaded himself,” the USMS said. Although the restaurant was “in close proximity” to the Democratic National Convention venue, there was “no connection or threat to the event or attendees,” the agency said.
CNN is working to confirm whether Zimmerman has an attorney.
A flood of accusations and aliases
DeSoto County court records show that Zimmerman was arrested on September 29, 2023, in Southaven, Mississippi, on suspicion of robbery and attempted murder.
Earlier this month, Zimmerman was charged in Harris County, Texas, on suspicion of first-degree murder – but never arrested – for shooting a woman at a Houston motel, according to an arrest warrant dated September 5, 2023.
Court records show Zimmerman is also wanted in Connecticut for failing to appear for a December 2022 court hearing on sexual assault charges.
Zimmerman is known for using aliases and fake IDs, according to his arrest warrant in Harris County. He checked into the Houston motel under the alias Vincent Guerino Juliano, the court document says. Zimmerman also allegedly used the name Jamie Quintana, the Texas warrant says.
Zimmerman was detained in Chicago on Wednesday, US Marshals Service spokesman Brady McCarron told CNN.
The DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office in Mississippi expressed hope that Zimmerman would be extradited.
This story has been updated with additional information.
