CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) -
By Amara Walker, FOX Chicago News reporter
A northwest suburban man was charged with disorderly conduct Thursday after barricading people inside his apartment when police arrived after the party he was hosting on his birthday got out of control.
John Christopher Martel, 22, of Schaumburg was charged with one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct and one misdemeanor count of unlawfully permitting a minor to become intoxicated, according to Schaumburg police.
Martel was having a party at his apartment on Wednesday — his 22nd birthday — that got out of hand when fights started. He then barricaded the partygoers inside his residence when officers arrived, Schaumburg police Sgt. John Nebl said.
Police responded at 1:47 a.m. Thursday to investigate suspicious people in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 2200 block of Pennview Lane. They found a disturbance and three people running from a nearby building, Nebl said.
Officers then noticed a disturbance in Martel's apartment and asked the occupants to open the door, Nebl said. Instead, police heard a female screaming for help and a male yelling at her to sit down and be quiet.
"Two guys were fighting and that's mainly why they busted in. I think they're trying to cover their tracks and make us look like the bad guys, said partygoer Sarah. "No one screaming. "Cops made a big deal out of a situation that did not need to be made a bid deal of."
But, Sergeant Nebl had every reason to believe lives were being threatened.
"It was a crazy situation that was escalated by the people in the apartment. We sincerely thought there was a serious problem inside as well."
Police unsuccessfully tried to force entry into the apartment, but the occupants wedged several couches behind the steel door to prevent it from being opened.
The Northern Illinois Police Alarm System and Emergency Services TEAM was called when somebody inside the apartment said a person was killed, police said.
"At one point, heard one guy say someone was dead," commented Nebl.
The TEAM forced entry about 6:30 a.m. and found "numerous people" inside and one person unconscious, Nebl said. Police took 19 people into custody, including the one who was treated and released from a hospital for a medical condition unrelated to the police activity.
In addition to Martel, five minors were charged with local ordinance violations for illegal consumption of alcohol, police said. Martel has since posted bond.
Everyone in the apartment — including the woman screaming that she wanted to leave — refused to file complaints, police said.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
John C. Martel
