Women, Children Held Hostage In Batavia Apartment; Arrest Made: Police

BATAVIA, IL — Two women and multiple children were held hostage in a Batavia apartment early Friday morning by a man who they believed was armed with a firearm, police said.

Kerry C. Smith, 23, of Atlanta, was charged with multiple misdemeanors and taken into custody on multiple active warrants after the incident occurred at about 1:37 a.m. in the 1200 block of East Wilson Street.

Batavia police were dispatched to the apartment for a report of several people being held against their will. Officers' first attempts to contact the occupants were unsuccessful, but police set up a perimeter around the unit, obtained a search warrant and eventually established lines of communication with an occupant, according to a Friday afternoon update.

Officials said police made "a tactical entry" to ensure the victims' well-being, and a man, identified as Smith, was taken into custody. The Kane County Regional SWAT Team was called in to assist police.

After the area was secured, police searched the premises but did not find any guns, officials said.

Paramedics treated a woman for non-life-threatening injuries before she was released. Officials said the injuries were not a result of the police operation.

Smith was charged with the following misdemeanors:

• Violation of an order of protection
• Domestic battery causing harm
• Domestic battery insulting/provoking contact
• Multiple active warrants from the Aurora Police Department and Kane County Sheriff's Office

Batavia police said the "professionalism and expertise" from the Kane County Sheriff's Office and the SWAT team "helped bring this situation to a safe and expedient resolution."