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“The individual showed up to the protest with a gun and a box of ammunition in a bag. The individual threatened violence against law enforcement officers while pointing at his bag,” McLaughlin said.
As the crowd became increasingly volatile, law enforcement officers deployed crowd control measures in an effort to prevent further violence and restore order.
“After law enforcement deployed crowd control measures to calm an increasingly volatile crowd, the individual kicked a metal smoke canister at officers. He then pushed an officer, and he was arrested for assault,” McLaughlin explained.
During the arrest, the man reportedly admitted that he was armed. Authorities recovered both the firearm and the ammunition and confirmed that he did not possess a concealed carry permit.
“This is not the peaceful protesting that the First Amendment protects,” McLaughlin said.
The arrest came just hours after a separate violent incident involving a federal agent and an illegal migrant from Venezuela. DHS says the migrant attacked the agent with a shovel, forcing the officer to defend himself. The migrant was shot in the leg during the encounter.
That incident appears to have triggered an explosion of unrest across Minneapolis, with agitators flooding the streets and openly confronting federal authorities.
The city has remained on edge since the January 7 death of 37 year old Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent during a roadway altercation. Federal officials say Good used her vehicle as a weapon while obstructing agents.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem did not mince words, referring to Good as a “domestic terrorist” and accusing her of attempting to harm officers.
Rather than calming the situation, Democrat leaders poured gasoline on the fire.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey infamously told ICE to “get the f— out of Minneapolis” during a profanity laced news conference following Good’s death.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz followed suit, attacking DHS on social media. After claiming he watched video footage of the incident, Walz dismissed Noem’s explanation and labeled it part of a “propaganda machine.”
As violence mounted, President Donald Trump issued a stark warning that federal authority would not be undermined.
“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
If invoked, the Insurrection Act of 1807 would allow the president to deploy National Guard forces to restore order and protect federal officers under siege.
Meanwhile, Minnesota officials attempted to halt federal immigration enforcement through the courts. On Wednesday, a federal judge declined to immediately block the Biden administration’s intensified ICE operations in the state.
U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez heard arguments from Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, which filed a lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order against federal agents.
The plaintiffs claimed ICE operations involved warrantless arrests, excessive force, and constitutional violations. However, the judge said the legal issues were too complex to rule on immediately.
Menendez set deadlines for the Justice Department to respond by January 19 and for state officials to submit additional arguments by January 22. A ruling is expected later this month.
As Minneapolis continues to spiral, one thing is clear. Federal agents are being targeted for doing their jobs, while Democrat officials appear more interested in protecting rioters than enforcing the law.
