University Police arrested a west Evanston man late Thursday after he allegedly hit an officer and tried to give him in a bear hug.

The officer was on patrol in downtown Evanston when he saw the man walking southbound on the 1700 block of Orrington Avenue at about 11:40 p.m. When the man, later identified as Darnell A. Knox, 31, saw the police car, he bent down to tie his shoes, said Assistant Chief Daniel McAleer of UP.

The officer circled the block and came back to the same area, where he again saw Knox bending down and tying his shoes. As Knox continued walking south while the officer turned north onto Orrington, he bent down to tie his shoes a third time, McAleer said.

The officer left the vehicle and began talking to Knox. He asked him to move toward the police car. Knox pushed the officer’s arm and tried the bear hug him. Knox fled the scene on foot, but two officers caught up with him, McAleer said.

At the UP station, police found that Knox was wanted in Georgia for fraud and in Whiteside County, Ill., for failure to appear in court.

Knox, of the 2000 block of Darrow Avenue, was found to be carrying a substance thought to be marijuana. He was charged with aggravated battery and resisting arrest, McAleer said.

He is scheduled to appear on Dec. 9 in Circuit Court in Skokie.

Evanston man charged

after dog-walker injured

A man told Evanston Police Department he was beaten up early Thursday while he was walking his dog in northwest Evanston.

The man told EPD that he was on the 3100 block of Park Place at about midnight when another man, later identified as Miroslaw Jan Walo, 44, approached with two unleashed dogs. The man and Walo then got into a verbal argument about keeping their dogs away from each other, the police report said.

The first man told police Walo was drinking alcohol and smoking a cigar, and he said Walo threw the drink into his face. Walo punched the man in the face, and after the man fell to the ground, he kicked him in the side and punched his face again, according to the report.

Walo fled the scene with his dogs, the report said. The man had blood coming out of his swollen ear when police arrived and was taken to Evanston Hospital, 2650 Ridge Ave., the report stated.

Walo tried to file a battery report against the other man and told police he pushed the man in self-defense. But his statements were incomplete and not consistent, according to the police report.

Walo, of the 2700 block of Highland Avenue, was charged with battery. He is scheduled to appear on Dec. 12 in Circuit Court in Skokie.

– greg hafkin