Driver Fleeing Evanston Police Crashes Into Building

EVANSTON, IL — A man fleeing police crashed a car into a building around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, shutting down traffic in both directions on Main Street for about an hour. Around 8:15 a.m., police got a call about a suspicious car with three people inside parked outside a bank in the 600 block of Chicago Avenue. Bank employees were concerned that the people may be plotting a robbery or some other kind of mischief, according to police.

Bank staff reported one of the people in the car looked to have some kind of mask and may have been donning a ski mask. They provided police with a description of the car, which had left the scene by the time cops arrived.

About 15 minutes later, an officer encountered a car matching the description headed westbound on Main Street and tried to pull it over. The driver refused and wound up crashing into a commercial building in the 2400 block of Main Street. An image from the scene showed a silver sedan with its airbags deployed that crashed into a building at the corner of Main Street and Fowler Avenue.

Police said both passengers were later located near the bank. No firearm or mask was found, although police said they did locate a black hat.

After being closed to investigate the incident, Main Street between McCormick and Pitner was reopened shortly before 9:30 a.m., according to police.

At a minimum, the driver is likely to face a traffic citation, according to police.

The identities of those taken into custody were not immediately released.