A Mississippi inmate escaped, apparently found work at a Chicago restaurant and then barricaded himself there, officials say

By Amanda Musa and Melissa Alonso, CNN

(CNN) — Authorities have captured Joshua Zimmerman, a Mississippi inmate who escaped two months ago and barricaded himself in a Chicago restaurant where he had apparently found a job, the US Marshals Service said Wednesday.

No other details were immediately released about Zimmerman’s capture, whether he was armed or if anyone was injured.

Zimmerman, who is wanted on several charges in at least three states, barricaded himself Tuesday at a seafood restaurant just blocks from where the Democratic National Convention was taking place, the US Marshals Service said.

Zimmerman, 30, “escaped 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 Tuesday. DeSoto County is in northwest Mississippi, about 25 miles south of Memphis.

It’s not clear how or why Zimmerman traveled to Chicago, or whether he knew people in the area, said Justin Smith, chief deputy for the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office.

But “USMS investigators recently developed information that Zimmerman was in Chicago and sent a collateral 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 confirm whether Zimmerman has obtained an attorney.

A spate of charges and aliases

DeSoto County court records show 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 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, court records show.

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, the court document states. Zimmerman has also reportedly used the name Jamie Quintana, the Texas warrant states.

Zimmerman was being held Wednesday in Chicago, US Marshals Service spokesperson Brady McCarron told CNN.

The DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office in Mississippi has said it hopes Zimmerman will be extradited.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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