Authorities in a Chicago suburb are gathering evidence to send to the Illinois attorney general’s office following a car crash involving a U.S. Border Patrol vehicle that resulted in a violent arrest captured on video. The footage shows an agent punching a man multiple times in the head while he was pinned to the ground.
Immigration agents apprehended three individuals after a sedan collided with the back of the U.S. Border Patrol vehicle in Evanston. The incident attracted a crowd of spectators and quickly escalated.
Social media videos depict some onlookers attempting to intervene in the arrests. Federal agents can be seen using pepper spray, striking a man who approaches them, and aiming a gun towards a woman who opened the agents’ vehicle door where a detainee was placed.
President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement activities have led to an increased presence of federal agents in Evanston. In response, community members have formed “rapid response” teams to alert residents about the agents’ movements and impede their progress.
During the incident, an agent was seen punching a man on the ground, with the Department of Homeland Security later stating that the officer used “defensive strikes” after the man allegedly assaulted him.
While some witnesses claim that the agents caused the collision by abruptly stopping in front of the sedan, federal officials have refuted this version of events. City officials have condemned the actions of the agents.
Mayor Daniel Biss, in a press conference following the event, accused immigration agents of resorting to violence and unjustly detaining individuals.
The Department of Homeland Security defended the agents, stating that they were being aggressively followed and that a hostile crowd surrounded them, leading to a confrontation.
The mayor has called for more community members to join the rapid response team, and the city has enacted ordinances designating city property as “No ICE Zones.” The Evanston Police Department is now sending supervisors to immigration enforcement scenes to document and collect evidence for the Illinois attorney general’s Civil Rights Division.
Police received reports from both federal agents and bystanders and dispatched a supervisor to the scene after the arrests. Several individuals were treated for exposure to pepper spray by paramedics.
Community member Allie Harned, who witnessed the events, described the scene as terrifying and unacceptable, particularly for a student who witnessed the violent altercation.
The article has been updated to correct the spelling of the Evanston mayor’s name to Biss.
