Law enforcement officials have apprehended Joshua Zimmerman, an inmate from Mississippi who escaped two months ago and barricaded himself in a restaurant in Chicago where he had apparently secured employment, the US Marshals Service announced on Wednesday. No further details were immediately provided about Zimmerman’s capture, whether he was armed, or if anyone was harmed.
Zimmerman, who is wanted on multiple charges in at least three states, barricaded himself on Tuesday at a seafood restaurant just blocks away from the location of the Democratic National Convention, according to the US Marshals Service. Zimmerman, 30, “escaped on June 14 from the Desoto County (Mississippi) Jail, where he was being held for armed robbery and attempted murder,” the marshals service said in a statement on Tuesday. DeSoto County is in northwest Mississippi, approximately 25 miles south of Memphis.
It is unclear how or why Zimmerman traveled to Chicago, or if he had acquaintances in the area, stated Justin Smith, chief deputy for the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office. However, “USMS investigators recently obtained information that Zimmerman was in Chicago and sent a lead to the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, who positively identified Zimmerman in a seafood restaurant in the 2300 block of Madison Street, where it is believed he was working,” the marshals service said. “During the arrest attempt, Zimmerman retreated into the ceiling and barricaded himself,” the USMS said.
Although the restaurant is “in close proximity” to the site of the Democratic National Convention, the agency said there was “no connection or threat to the event or those attending.” CNN is working to verify whether Zimmerman has secured legal representation. A series of charges and aliases DeSoto County court records indicate that Zimmerman was arrested on suspicion of robbery and attempted murder on September 29, 2023, in Southaven, Mississippi. Earlier that month, Zimmerman was charged – but never arrested – on suspicion of felony murder in Harris County, Texas, for allegedly shooting and killing a woman at a Houston motel, according to an arrest warrant filed on September 5, 2023.
Zimmerman is also wanted in Connecticut for failing to appear at a December 2022 court hearing related to a felony sexual assault charge, according to court records. Zimmerman has been known to use aliases and fake forms of identification, according to his arrest warrant in Harris County.
He checked into the Houston motel under the alias Vincent Guerino Juliano, as stated in the court document. Zimmerman has also reportedly used the name Jamie Quintana as per the Texas warrant. Zimmerman was being held in Chicago as of Wednesday, according to US Marshals Service spokesperson Brady McCarron told CNN.
The DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office in Mississippi has expressed hope that Zimmerman will be extradited. This story has been updated with additional information.
