Federal Agents Injure U.S. Citizen During Arrest Attempt In Evanston: Police

EVANSTON, IL — An Evanston resident was injured by federal law enforcement agents during an arrest attempt Sunday morning, police said.

Evanston police are investigating an incident that took place near Howard Street and Dodge Avenue at 9:49 a.m. Police said an unknown caller reported hearing two men arguing and someone saying an individual would be taken into custody.

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Officers who arrived in the 1700 block of Howard Street found a man on the ground and several people assisting him. The man reported injuries to his head, neck and teeth, and Evanston officers requested an ambulance.

Witnesses told officers that people they believed were U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had tried to take the man into custody.

While officers were at the scene, another Evanston officer encountered two SUVs near Dodge Avenue and Brummel Street. An individual from one of the vehicles, wearing plain clothes and a vest marked "POLICE" with federal law enforcement markings, identified himself as a federal agent conducting a fugitive investigation, according to police.

Police said the agent told the officer that agents had tried to identify an individual who resembled a person they were seeking. The agent said the individual refused to provide identification, so he was detained for fingerprinting. Federal agents later determined the man was not the person they were seeking and learned he was a U.S. citizen, so they released him.

While they spoke, the Evanston officer said he observed blood on the agent's hands. Police said the agent reported he was injured while trying to handcuff the individual and declined medical treatment.

The agent later told Evanston police sergeants that five federal agents had been operating in the area in separate vehicles, that the person they were seeking had addresses associated with Chicago, and that there was a warrant for that person's arrest, according to police.

Federal agents claimed they left the area after protesters began to gather because they feared they would be attacked. Later, Evanston officers contacted the detained resident at a local hospital, where an EPD evidence technician photographed and documented his injuries. Police Chief Stewart also went to the hospital, spoke with the resident and provided information about available community resources, according to the department.

Evanston police said officers are conducting a video canvass, preserving available body-worn camera and in-car video, and collecting photographs and videos from witnesses and community members. Additional video evidence is still being collected and reviewed and will be prepared for public release as it becomes available.

Anyone who may have additional information is encouraged to contact the Evanston Police Department or submit an anonymous tip by texting 274637 and beginning the message with "EPDTIP."