2 In Custody After Evanston Schools Locked Down During Search

EVANSTON, IL — Evanston schools were briefly locked down Wednesday as police searched for suspects who fled the scene of a reported shooting, police said. Two people were taken into custody and a gun was recovered during the investigation, according to Evanston police.

Police said a silver Jeep crashed into the fence of a house at the corner of Sherman Avenue and Lincoln Street after fleeing a canine officer who had tried to pull it over after just hearing gunfire in the 2100 block of Darrow Avenue at 3:22 p.m. The officer had briefly pursued the SUV before the chase was called off, according to Cmdr. Ryan Glew.

Around 3:50 p.m., police announced on social media Orrington Elementary School had been locked down as a precaution as officers searched for people that had fled from the scene of the crash. About 10 minutes later police said the lockdown had been lifted. Glew said Evanston Township High School, located about half a mile from the original report that shots had been fired, also made the decision to go on lockdown but did so independently.

After establishing a perimeter and asking residents to report anyone acting suspicious to avoiding police, two men were arrested around Sherman Avenue and Central Street, a few blocks north of the site of the crash, according to Glew. The investigation indicated there were only two people in the Jeep.

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