Quick answer: Evanston police say federal agents were looking for a different person when they encountered a resident near Howard Street and Dodge Avenue on Sept. 20. Agents later determined he was not their target and that he was a U.S. citizen. Police found him injured and later documented his injuries at St. Francis Hospital.
The identity issue
The involved agent told police that the resident resembled the person the team was seeking. That is the factual basis for the mistaken-identity description.
The medical record
Police said the resident reported injuries to his head, neck and teeth and was transported by ambulance. An evidence technician later photographed and documented the injuries at St. Francis Hospital.
Two descriptions of the confrontation
The agent said the resident refused to identify himself, was detained for fingerprinting and resisted. Witnesses separately described the force as rough and one witness alleged an agent struck the man. That remains an attributed allegation.
What remains unresolved
Investigators still need to establish the precise sequence of physical contact and what additional footage shows.
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
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
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
Where was the resident treated?
St. Francis Hospital, according to police.
Are the circumstances of force settled?
No. Accounts differ and the investigation continues.
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
