Party Ends with Armored Police Vehicle Inside Matteson House

A three-hour standoff at a house party in Matteson ended early Sunday morning when police rammed a house with an armored vehicle and took 36 people into custody.

The episode began at 2:55 a.m. when police were called to the 900 block of Princeton Avenue for reports of shots fired, according to a statement from the Matteson police. Witnesses said gunmen fired at the house and then sped away in a black Dodge Charger.

When police arrived, people at the house party refused to “peacefully exit,” which led to the standoff. Meanwhile, other officers stopped the Charger near Lincoln Highway and Willow Road and took two men into custody, recovering guns and ammunition from the car. Police also found as many as 40 shell casings in the street.

Despite negotiations, few people emerged from the house, and after three hours the South Suburban Emergency Response Team rammed the front of the house. Police entered and took the remaining occupants into custody. Police had the neighborhood blocked off until 1 p.m. Sunday

Altogether, 36 people were taken into custody, according to Matteson police.