A Chicago man allegedly fired a handgun at an armored SWAT vehicle during an hours-long standoff that began with a domestic dispute and ended with his arrest after he barricaded himself inside a bedroom, according to court documents.
Larry Hochmuth, 45, faces multiple felony charges including eight counts of attempted first-degree murder of a peace officer following the incident, which began late on January 31 and continued through most of the following day. Judge Lisette Mojica ordered Hochmuth detained as a safety threat during a court appearance on Friday, after his original first appearance scheduled for Wednesday was rescheduled.
Prosecutors said Hochmuth’s girlfriend of 25 years returned home and noticed he was drinking alcohol and appeared agitated and went to her upstairs bedroom after an argument. Hochmuth remained on the first floor, but at about 10:30 p.m., the girlfriend heard gunshots that appeared to come from the back porch, followed by another round of shots approximately 10 minutes later, according to a detention petition.
When the girlfriend came downstairs, she allegedly heard Hochmuth accessing a safe containing two firearms and saw him holding a 9mm handgun with an American flag design. Prosecutors said Hochmuth fired the gun toward her feet and into the ceiling while claiming she didn’t love him anymore.
As the confrontation continued, he allegedly pushed her with both hands before handing her the American flag gun, which she unloaded and then fled the residence.
The girlfriend initially met with officers at a nearby gas station but did not provide all of the details of what happened “for fear of the defendant getting in trouble,” according to the detention filing. However, while driving to her mother’s residence, she spoke with Hochmuth by phone and could hear him breaking things inside the home. She then called police again, provided full details of the incident, and gave officers keys to the residence, prosecutors said.
Uniformed CPD responded to the home in the 2700 block of East 76th Street and tried to contact Hochmuth using his girlfriend’s phone and at the door, but received no response. Based on the nature of the call and lack of contact, SWAT was called to the scene, prosecutors said.
Over the next several hours, Hochmuth allegedly threatened to kill himself or police if they entered his home. Attempts to have friends and family defuse the situation were unsuccessful, according to prosecutors.
As the incident escalated, officers brought an armored SWAT vehicle to the front of the home. The white vehicle with CPD logos on the exterior was staffed by multiple SWAT officers in full uniform and tactical gear. One officer used the vehicle’s audio system to instruct Hochmuth to exit unarmed, according to the proffer.
Just before 9 a.m., the SWAT negotiator heard Hochmuth begin a countdown, which was followed by a single gunshot through a first-floor window in the direction of officers near the armored vehicle, prosecutors allege. The bullet struck the side of the vehicle near where officers had been standing.
Multiple officers were inside the armored vehicle when the shot was fired, including one in the turret who ducked down upon hearing the gunshot, prosecutors said. Other officers outside the vehicle also took cover.
After being fired upon, police used drones to maintain surveillance while staying under cover, court documents state.
Officers then used the armored vehicle to knock out an exterior window facing the street to attempt non-lethal measures. Over the next several hours, Hochmuth periodically stood in the windowless opening and shouted threats at officers, threatening to shoot them and pointing a handgun at them, prosecutors allege. On multiple occasions, he allegedly exposed his private parts to officers.
SWAT officers deployed pepper spray multiple times to try to force Hochmuth to exit, but he allegedly picked up one canister and threw it out of the home. Police deployed another drone that entered through the removed window, allowing officers to observe Hochmuth inside and see the handgun on the windowsill that he allegedly fired at the armored vehicle, prosecutors said. The drone also recorded multiple shell casings on the ground and showed that Hochmuth had barricaded the front door with wood.
SWAT officers eventually made entry through the barricaded door and searched for Hochmuth. They found him in a bedroom that had been barricaded with a dresser placed in front of the door. As they tried to enter, Hochmuth attempted to reinforce the barricade with his bedframe, prosecutors allege.
The drone entered the barricaded room through a hole officers cut in the door and recorded Hochmuth giving the middle finger with both hands. With officers aware he was unarmed, they entered the bedroom and took him into custody.
Prosecutors said the police did not fire any shots throughout the entire incident.
During their search of the residence, officers located the safe in the living room containing a .380-caliber Smith and Wesson handgun, prosecutors said. They also recovered the American flag handgun Hochmuth had thrown out the window, according to court documents.
Police recovered multiple spent shell casings both inside and outside the home, including 21 9mm casings from the driveway, three 9mm casings from the rear porch, one 9mm casing on the kitchen floor, and eight 9mm casings from the basement, as well as one .380 casing from the rear porch area, prosecutors said.
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