A Naperville man has been accused of threatening two people with a machete, then trying to use the weapon to break through a door to a room where they had sought shelter, according to a news release by the Naperville Police Department.
Suspect allegedly advanced on building employees while holding machete
Daniel O’Neill, 35, is facing multiple charges after the incident, which authorities say happened Wednesday afternoon.
Just after 2 p.m., police were called to the scene at a multi-unit residential building on the 300 block of N. Charles Avenue. Upon arriving, they learned that while outside the building, O’Neill had allegedly “advanced on two building employees while armed with a machete,” according to the news release.
The two ran inside and took shelter in a maintenance room. O’Neill allegedly pursued them and then tried to get through the door, hitting it with the machete. Unable to do so, he went back to his apartment, where he barricaded himself.
O’Neill barricaded in his apartment for hours, police say
He would remain in the apartment for several hours, with crisis negotiation officers and members of the NPD’s Special Response Team trying unsuccessfully to get O’Neill to respond to them.
Eventually, police sent a drone into the apartment. Authorities say O’Neill disabled it and threw it out of a window, causing it to be damaged. Police would later send in a “distraction device,” which resulted in O’Neill leaving the apartment, at which point he was taken into custody.
No one was injured in the incident.
Multiple charges filed
O’Neill has been charged with criminal damage to government-supported property, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, reckless conduct, criminal damage to property, and disorderly conduct.
Police are still gathering information on the incident, asking the public to call the NPD Investigations Division at (630) 548-2955 if they have any to report. Information can also be emailed to the department.
Image: Handout Naperville Police Department
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