Incident started with Antioch police pursuit of half-naked man
After Antioch authorities struggled to arrest a man in the 300 block of West Route 173, about five minutes south of Trevor, they detected a strong chemical odor at his residence in the 1200 block of Main Street that forced a hazardous materials investigation Friday evening.
That hazardous materials investigation, which came back unfounded, caused evacuation of an apartment complex and the closure of Main Street between Route 173 and Grimm Road, according to a joint press release issued by the Antioch Police Department and Fire Department.
The incident began at about 7 p.m., when the Antioch Police Department received reports of a nearly naked man running through several parking lots of area businesses while carrying two naked young children in the 300 block of Route 173.
As police headed to the scene, they received more emergency calls which indicated the man was running in the middle of Route 173, where he still had been carrying both children.
When officers caught up to him in the parking lot of the Best Western Plus Hotel, he did not respond to police commands, the release states.
“After a brief struggle the subject was taken into custody,” the release reports, noting the man was taken to an area hospital for evaluation.
Additionally, the two children, believed to be 2- and 3-years-old, were transported to an area hospital as a precaution.
As authorities investigated an apartment complex in the 1200 block of Main Street, police had been confronted with a strong chemical odor, necessitating a hazardous materials assessment by the Antioch Fire Department. This would mean, gas mask, hazmat equipment like a biohazard suit, and other equipment would be needed to check out the area to make it safe for the public.
“After an investigation by the Antioch Fire Department, it was determined that they hazmat incident was unfounded,” the release states.
Assisting in the investigation were the Lake Village and Grayslake Fire Departments.
“The identification of the male subject is being withheld at this time as the incident is still under investigation,” the release states.