As Evanston police tell it, the episode belongs on “Cops.”

A man steals power tools to support his heroin addiction, crashes his car in the subsequent police chase, and then is dragged by a police officer from a vehicle he’s trying to carjack.

This morning at 9 a.m., the man is to appear in Skokie Circuit Court, charged with one count of vehicle burglary and one count of resisting arrest. But as his family tells it, Keith Lamar Covington, 44, of the 300 block of South Western Avenue in Chicago, couldn’t have done these things.

“It’s just unbelievable,” said younger sister Tawana Covington, a Chicago resident. “All that stuff was behind him.”

Covington has a previous record of burglary, drug use and assault, but family members said he had “turned his life around” and that he is innocent.

Both police and family members, however, would agree with Cmdr. Michael Perry’s assessment of the situation: “It was just a big mess.”

At about 10:20 a.m. Friday, two by-standers saw a man matching Covington’s description remove power tools from the back of a covered red pick-up in the Home Depot parking lot at 2301 Oakton St. and put them into his own car, Perry said.

Covington later told police he stole the professional grade power tools in order to support a heroin habit.

Later, police located the pick-up owner, who said two nail guns worth $2,000 and two circular saws worth $500 had been taken. Pry marks were found on the window of the pick-up’s camper shell, Perry said.

Witnesses then saw Covington drive off in a blue four-door Oldsmobile Delta 88 with an open gas cap, a yellow sticker on the back window and missing license plates, Perry said.

An alert went out over the scanner, and police found Covington driving southbound on McCormick Boulevard, approaching Howard Street. The officer in pursuit requested permission to continue the chase.

Covington soon realized he was being chased and ran a red light, colliding with a truck heading east on Touhy Avenue, Perry said. The Oldsmobile spun and smacked into a tree on the southwest corner of the intersection.

Covington jumped out of the car and ran through the parking lot at Lincolnwood Town Center, behind the Olive Garden restaurant. He then circled back to McCormick and ran out into traffic, police said.

The officer in pursuit tried to pull Covington off the parkway, but he resisted. The officer saw Covington run up to another car and attempt to force the driver and his wife from the vehicle by threatening them with a screwdriver.

The officer struck Covington in the legs several times with a baton to get him to release the driver, who he had dragged halfway from the car, police said.

Off-duty Chicago Police Sgt. Matin Tannehill was in the area and attempted to help the Evanston officer wrestle Covington to the ground.

The officers used pepper spray to subdue Covington, who was still resisting arrest while being handcuffed.

Paramedics treated Covington for injuries at the scene, but he refused going to the hospital, Perry said. The extent of his injuries is unknown.

Meanwhile, the two witnesses from the Home Depot parking lot were brought to the scene of the crash, where they identified Covington as the man they saw stealing from the pick-up, Perry said.

Police found two framing guns, two cordless drills, four battery packs and a skillsaw in the trunk of the Oldsmobile and returned them to the pick-up’s owner. Two Illinois license plates, two flashlights, a metal chain, a hammer and four saw blades also were found.

Convington’s family said he had been working as a stocker at a local supermarket for two-and-a-half years.

Another sister, Vanessa Covington, 37, said she was shocked when she heard of her brother’s arrest.

She described Covington as a “terrific guy” and a “kindhearted person.”

Tawana Covington said her brother had changed his ways, becoming the kind of man who helps his family with whatever they need.

“He’s just a dependable guy and I don’t believe he would do anything like that,” she said.