Quick answer: Evanston police are investigating a Sept. 20 encounter near Howard Street and Dodge Avenue in which federal agents believed to be from ICE briefly detained an adult resident who was later confirmed to be a U.S. citizen. Police said he reported injuries to his head, neck and teeth and was taken to St. Francis Hospital.
What happened?
Police said officers arrived around 9:49 a.m. after a caller reported an argument and someone being taken into custody. Officers found the resident on the ground with bystanders assisting him. Witnesses said people they believed were ICE agents had attempted to detain him.
The mistaken identity
An involved federal agent told police the team was conducting a fugitive investigation and that the resident resembled the person being sought. The agent said the resident refused identification, was detained for fingerprinting and resisted. Agents later determined he was not the target and that he was a U.S. citizen, then released him.
What remains open
Evanston police said they are conducting a video canvass and preserving body-camera, in-car and witness footage. Witness accounts describe the force differently from the federal account. Those differences remain for investigators to resolve.
Related video:
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
Why Investigators Are Collecting Every Video From the Evanston ICE Incident
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
Was the man a U.S. citizen?
Yes. Police said agents later learned he was a U.S. citizen.
Was he hospitalized?
Police said he was taken to St. Francis Hospital.
Is the investigation finished?
No. Police said it remains active.
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
