← 2026-09-2226brief

Federal agents detained a US citizen in Evanston, Illinois by mistake; he was hospitalized with head, neck and teeth injuries

Evanston police are investigating; agents said the man resembled a fugitive they had a warrant for.

Evanston officers answering a report of an argument just before 10 a.m. Sunday found the man on the ground. A plainclothes agent said he had been detained for fingerprinting after refusing to show ID and resisting. Agents then found he was not their target and was a US citizen, and let him go.

  • Five federal agents were working the area in separate unmarked vehicles, per the agent at the scene.
  • Witnesses told police they believed the agents were ICE; the agent never named his agency and DHS did not respond to a request for comment.
  • Officers photographed and documented his injuries at the hospital.