DeKalb police shoot knife-wielding man at car dealership after employees allegedly assaulted

DEKALB, Ill. - A knife-wielding man was shot by police at a DeKalb car dealership after allegedly assaulting employees and advancing toward officers.

The incident occurred at 12:25 p.m. Wednesday at the Brian Bemis Toyota dealership, located at 1890 Sycamore Road in DeKalb.

According to DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes, police received a report of a man at the dealership who became upset and pulled a knife. The man then allegedly attacked employees, stabbing one in the hand.

The DeKalb City manager said police arrived within minutes.

"Found one person had been hit by the knife; others were fleeing and some immobilized by fear," said DeKalb City Manager Bill Nicklas.

Police then confronted the armed man, who wouldn't drop the knife and advanced toward officers, the mayor said. Officers then shot the man and ended the attack.

"Things like this do not happen in the City of DeKalb," said Mayor Barnes.

The man was airlifted to a Rockford hospital for medical treatment, according to police. He's in stable condition and expected to survive. His identity hasn't been released, pending further investigation.

The injured employee was treated for his stab wound and released at the scene.

"I would say at this point that the person, because the person was struck on an extremity, might have been trying to defend himself or to intervene in some fashion," said Nicklas, who added that the motive for the car dealership stabbing has not been released.

This comes after another unrelated DeKalb police-involved shooting earlier in the day on Wednesday, when officers tried to stop a car wanted in connection with a shooting in Rockford. 

The driver wouldn't pull over and that led to a hostage situation in the offender’s car near Rich and Nelson roads. Police said the hostage was eventually let go, but that suspect reportedly shot at officers and DeKalb police fired back, killing that person, who hasn't been identified.

"Having two officer-involved shootings is unprecedented in the City of DeKalb. I mean, we are a great community out here overall, a very peaceful community, and something like this is shocking to all of us," said Mayor Barnes.

The Illinois State Police is conducting an independent investigation into both incidents as part of protocol.