UIPD and Champaign Police Department SWAT officers are actively carrying out a search warrant at 57 E. Springfield Ave. — just north of First Street — in relation to an ongoing criminal investigation, according to a post by the UIPD’s Facebook account Thursday morning.
The post wrote that there is potential for weapons and additional individuals inside the house. The incident is not connected to the shooting on Green Street in Campustown on Saturday, according to an email from UIPD communications coordinator Abbigail Kepp.
“We have no reason to believe this incident involves anyone affiliated with the University of Illinois or posed an active threat to the community,” the post read.
UIPD advised community members to avoid the area as this is an active scene. The Daily Illini contacted UIPD and is working to learn more about the situation.
The statement added that UIPD has closed some streets nearby to establish a perimeter around the scene. The portion of Springfield Avenue between Neil and Second streets, as well as the portion of First Street between Green and White streets, is closed.
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UPDATE: 1:30 p.m.
Around 12:30 p.m., The DI spoke with witnesses near the house.
“(Officers) got on the megaphone, they called one person by name to come out with hands raised, nobody came out,” said passerby Lawrence Parks, senior in LAS.
Parks said that he saw officers using both crawling and aerial robots on the scene.
“They’ve been sending a few drones inside the actual house, they flew it through a window or a doorway … and one just came out, there was a ground-crawler that they had,” Parks said.
At approximately 1 p.m., law enforcement left, and the streets reopened.
“The scene at 57 E. Springfield Avenue in Champaign is now secure, but the investigation is ongoing,” Kepp wrote in a later email. “Springfield Avenue and First Street are now open, but please continue to avoid the area.”
CPD public information officer Joe Lamberson told The DI that CPD was there to assist UIPD in their operations and would not comment further about the case.
UIPD will share more information as the investigation develops.
UPDATE: 5:30 p.m.
UIPD addressed the search warrant execution in a statement on Thursday evening. The statement said officers responded to the address in question — 57 E. Springfield Ave. — at 6:46 a.m. Thursday morning to investigate a sexual assault reported earlier in the morning.
The statement said the property was set to be demolished and that no one was supposed to be present there.
“While attempting to make contact at the property, a house that was supposed to be vacant and is scheduled for demolition, officers observed several individuals fleeing the building,” the statement read.
Officers responded and stopped two individuals who fled the house, the statement read. Those people told UIPD multiple people were still in the house and that weapons might be present.
“Due to the potential presence of weapons and additional individuals inside, officers requested additional units,” the statement read. “A perimeter was established around the scene while a search warrant was obtained as part of the sexual assault investigation.”
UIPD said they called the CPD SWAT team to assist in executing the search warrant because of the reported presence of weapons. They said the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office and the Champaign County Street Crimes Task Force also assisted in the response.
Officers detained eight individuals during the investigation, which is still ongoing, UIPD said. They arrested three others on unrelated arrest warrants.
Neil Fotzler, a local landlord, has owned the property since 1982, according to data from the Champaign County Collector. Fotzler could not be reached by phone for comment Thursday afternoon.
**This is a developing story. Updates will be posted as they become available.**
