Quick answer: The Evanston incident can be reconstructed as a sequence: a fugitive search, an encounter with a man agents said resembled the target, a physical detention, a medical response and a later release after agents determined the man was a U.S. citizen.
Timeline
9:49 a.m.
Police were dispatched after a caller reported an argument and someone being taken into custody. Officers found an adult man on the ground and requested an ambulance after he reported injuries.
Federal account
A separate officer encountered two SUVs nearby. A person in plain clothes wearing federal-law-enforcement markings identified himself as an agent conducting a fugitive investigation and said the resident resembled the target.
Release
The agent told police the resident refused identification, was detained for fingerprinting and resisted. Agents later determined he was not their target and that he was a U.S. citizen.
What is established?
The mistaken identity and release are documented. The more disputed issue is how the physical encounter unfolded. Police are preserving video and collecting witness material.
What changed in the latest reporting?
Reporting published Sept. 22 adds a witness account from Ryan Garton, who told Evanston Wire that he saw the man pinned to the ground and later saw blood. That is a witness account, not a final investigative finding. Evanston police continue to review video and other evidence. DHS separately told CNN that ICE agents encountered someone who resembled their target, identified themselves and said the individual was not cooperative.
Related coverage
From a Fugitive Search to a Hospital Visit: Reconstructing the Evanston Case
How a Case of Mistaken Identity Ended With a U.S. Citizen at a Hospital
Two Accounts, One Investigation: What Evanston Police and DHS Have Said
Inside the Unanswered Questions Surrounding the Evanston Federal Detention
Evanston ICE Incident: A Fact Check of What Is Confirmed and What Remains Unclear
Frequently Asked Questions
Why were agents there?
An involved agent told police it was a fugitive investigation.
Why was the resident released?
Agents determined he was not their target and that he was a U.S. citizen.
What evidence is being preserved?
Police cited body-camera, in-car and witness video and photographs.
Sources and further reading: Evanston Police Department · CNN Español · Univision Chicago · Democracy Now!
Latest reporting check — Sept. 23, 2026
As of Sept. 23, the latest reporting reviewed continues to describe the case as an active Evanston police investigation. CNN reported that surveillance video appears to show two agents and the man in an upright struggle before the federal agents pulled him to the ground, while noting that the available clip does not show what happened after they moved out of camera view. CNN also reported that DHS said the agents encountered someone who resembled their target, identified themselves and said the person was not cooperative. Evanston police said they are preserving body-camera footage, in-car video and witness material. These accounts remain attributed, and the investigation has not publicly resolved every disputed detail. Univision Chicago's Sept. 22 video report provides additional local coverage.
Fact-check note
This article distinguishes the Netflix dramatization from documented history. Lizzie Borden was acquitted in 1893; claims about guilt, private relationships, motives and events not established by surviving records are described as fictionalized or disputed rather than settled fact.
Netflix Tudum: The True Story · Netflix Tudum: Ending Explained · PEOPLE: Fact vs Fiction · PEOPLE: Emma/Lizzie Fact Check
