Houston murder suspect Joshua Zimmerman clashes with Chicago police after escaping from a Mississippi courthouse

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) – A murder suspect from Houston is said to have barricaded himself in a restaurant in Chicago, Illinois.

Police said they cornered Joshua Zimmerman, 30, around 8 p.m. Tuesday. He is wanted in Mississippi and Harris County.

The US Marshal's Service is dealing with the barricade situation, which has been going on for several hours.

Zimmerman has been on the run since June, when he reportedly escaped from a courthouse near Memphis, Tennessee.

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He is facing murder charges in connection with the death of a woman last September at a Sharpstown hotel.

A video from our sister station in Chicago, WLS, shows a heavy police presence outside a restaurant on the west side of the city.

Authorities said Zimmerman was alone in the restaurant and no innocent civilians were in danger.

Zimmerman was charged with murder in the death of 23-year-old Keyanna Mercer in September last year.

According to Houston police, she was shot in a motel room at the Red Carpet Inn on Hornwood Drive in the Gulfton neighborhood.

An investigation into Mercer's death revealed that the hotel room was rented to Zimmerman and Mercer. Witnesses told police they heard screaming coming from the room before a shot was fired. Zimmerman was then seen leaving the room alone.

READ MORE: Mississippi police arrest man accused of killing woman in SW Houston motel

A few days later, on September 29, Zimmerman was arrested in DeSoto County, Mississippi, on other felony charges.

The plan was to eventually extradite him to Harris County, but on June 14 of this year, Zimmerman escaped from police during a court hearing and has been on the run ever since.

Mississippi authorities released only limited information about the ongoing barricade situation.

“Our plan is to pray that he gets caught and we can bring him back here and gather facts,” a police official said at a news conference.

Authorities did not immediately provide any information about what led them to the suspect at the restaurant. We are turning to the U.S. Marshal's Service for more information.

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