Criminal charges have been filed against a Chicago man who was the alleged cause of a lockdown, evacuation and nine-hour standoff at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse on Tuesday.
Mario Santoyo, 38, was charged in a criminal complaint Friday with knowingly possessing a dangerous weapon in a federal facility with the intent that it be used in the commission of a crime.
Santoyo allegedly came to the courthouse at 219 S. Dearborn asking for the FBI and claiming that “gangsters” or “gangbangers” were trying to kill him, according to an affidavit attached to the complaint. A court security officer told him the FBI’s offices were elsewhere.
The officer also told him to leave if he had no business in the building, the document said.
Instead, Santoyo allegedly pulled out a knife, held it to his throat and said he was going to hurt himself. In doing so, the feds say he failed to comply with a lawful direction and ultimately disrupted the performance of government employees’ official duties.
Santoyo arrived at the courthouse through the south revolving door at 10:27 a.m. Tuesday, according to the affidavit. It said the officer saw him wander in the area between the front desk and the doors, until the officer asked if he needed help.
That’s when Santoyo allegedly said he needed to speak with the FBI.
When he was told its offices were elsewhere, Santoyo allegedly walked south toward a nonoperational door before returning to the area near the officer. After the officer told him he’d have to leave, Santoyo allegedly walked toward the north revolving door before pulling out the knife.
The officer notified U.S. deputy marshals, who told Santoyo to put down the knife. He allegedly failed to follow their commands.
The affidavit said FBI agents arrived at 11:23 a.m. and joined the effort to urge Santoyo to put down his knife. He allegedly continued to hold it to his throat in the lobby.
Meanwhile, occupants of the building in the floors above had been notified by loudspeaker of the incident — and they were told to avoid the lobby. Authorities cleared Federal Plaza across the street, traffic on South Dearborn stopped flowing and a drone began to hover near the courthouse entrance.
It wasn’t until a little after 2 p.m. that court officials told people in the building’s second-floor cafeteria how to safely exit the building. A short time later, they declared the evacuation mandatory.
The affidavit against Santoyo notes that “there were a number of court proceedings taking place” that day, “including multiple criminal jury trials.” It alleged that Santoyo’s actions impeded the work of federal employees, including by preventing them and members of the public from entering the courthouse.
“I learned that non-law enforcement individuals in the building, including government employees, were evacuated on a staggered basis during the mid-afternoon hours, further preventing employees, litigants, and members of the public from conducting routine business,” an FBI special agent wrote in the affidavit.
The document says law enforcement eventually “used non-lethal force” at 7:55 p.m. and took Santoyo into custody. He was treated for injuries to his neck caused by his knife and transported to a hospital, it said.
Santoyo dropped the knife he’d been holding when he was taken into custody, according to the feds. They say he was also carrying a second, and the blades of each exceeded 2 ½ inches.