Garton disputes the mistaken-target account
Ryan GartonEyewitness, in an interview with Evanston Now
Witness Ryan Garton disputed the account that agents mistook the man for a specific target, saying it looked like they randomly selected him.
“It looked like they randomly targeted the guy and said, 'Let's take this one.'”
Interview
Where this statement fits
Federal agents’ use of force during mistaken detention in Evanston
An Evanston resident reported injuries after federal agents detained and released him on September 20, 2026. Police said agents determined he was not their target. A witness and immigrant-rights advocates criticized the force used; an involved agent told police the man had resisted detention.
Source and context
Interview
About this source
Evanston Now interviews witness Ryan Garton, who describes an agent's knee on the man's back, blood on the man's shirt and an agent's knuckles, and hospital pharmacy paperwork left on the curb; Garton disputes the agent's account, as relayed by police, saying it looked like the agents randomly targeted the man.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Evanston Now reported that police said the agents later determined the man was not the person they were seeking and had learned he was a U.S. citizen.
After the quotation
Garton said he and other bystanders began yelling at the agents to leave the man alone, and the agents eventually got into their cars and drove off.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Garton offers his own impression that the agents picked the man at random, directly disputing the official account that they mistook him for a specific fugitive suspect. This challenges the characterization of why the stop happened rather than condemning or excusing the force used.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Corrections to this statement
These notices document reporting corrections, classification changes, and topic-label updates.
Reporting correction
Correction to: Statement by Ryan Garton
- Previous language
- Evanston Now reported that DHS said agents later determined the man was not the person they were seeking and had learned he was a U.S. citizen.
- Corrected language
- Evanston Now reported that police said the agents later determined the man was not the person they were seeking and had learned he was a U.S. citizen.
We previously attributed to the Department of Homeland Security a statement that agents later determined the man was not the person they were seeking. Evanston Now attributes that statement to police. We corrected the attribution.
This corrects our account of what happened.
Evanston Now interviews witness Ryan Garton, who describes an agent's knee on the man's back, blood on the man's shirt and an agent's knuckles, and hospital pharmacy paperwork left on the curb; Garton disputes the agent's account, as relayed by police, saying it looked like the agents randomly targeted the man.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)More from this case
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DHS defends the Evanston stop
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
“has authority for lawful arrests where authorized under 8 USC 1357." "Law enforcement officers use ‘reasonable suspicion’ to investigate immigration status and probable cause to make arrests consistent with the statute and the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Supreme Court has already vindicated us on these practices.”Read statement
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Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Garton disputes the mistaken-target account
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/1555-witness-ryan-garton-disputed-the-account-that-agents
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Garton disputes the mistaken-target account". First published: 2026-09-24. Last updated: 2026-09-25. https://disputeindex.com/events/1555-witness-ryan-garton-disputed-the-account-that-agents