A resident of the Margarita Inn has been charged with aggravated battery to a police officer after allegedly punching the officer in the face.
Evanston Police Sgt. Ken Carter says the man, 32-year-old Daymeon C. Shelby, initially called police to complain about a fight he said he’d been in with another man at the homeless shelter at 1566 Oak Ave.
Two officers responded to the shelter about 6:25 p.m. Tuesday and spoke with Shelby.
During the conversation, Carter says, Shelby became aggressive toward the officers and tried to flee from them.
As the officers gave chase, Carter says, Shelby turned around and struck one of the officers in the face with his fist.
In response, Carter says, the second officer used his Taser to subdue Shelby.
Evanston Fire Department paramedics were called, and Shelby was transported to Evanston Hospital where he was treated and released into police custody.
Carter says officers also spoke with Jacob Pure, the service manager at the Margarita, who said he’d found Shelby masturbating in the building’s kitchen and had asked him to stop because there were children present.
Carter says Pure told the officers that Shelby then struck him in the face, leaving him with bruises. Pure declined medical treatment. Shelby faces a misdemeanor battery charge related to that incident.
Connections for the Homeless, which operates the Margarita Inn, is currently seeking city approval to convert what had been a pandemic-related temporary use of the former hotel into a permanent long-term care shelter for the homeless.
Update 7/10/22: Connections Executive Director Betty Bogg, in an email to Evanston Now, said Jacob Pure is the son of Margarita Inn owner Michael Pure, not a Connections employee.
“Incidents are supposed to be handled by Connections employees who are trained to handle this sort of situation,” Bogg said. “If Jacob had followed procedures, this could very well have been avoided.”
“Regardless, the resident violated our guidelines and has been discharged from the Margarita Inn,” she said, adding “When we have ownership and full operational control of the Margarita, incidents like this will only be handled by our trained staff.”