A Minneapolis resident alleges that he was forcibly removed from his car by federal agents and detained for eight hours without any charges filed against him. Identified only as Brandon, he recounted being held by ICE on January 11 following his participation in protests sparked by the shooting of local mother-of-three Renee Good.
Brandon claimed that his arrest lacked justification, stating, “I was arrested for obstruction without any criminal charges. It seems I was obstructing them from the rear as we were behind them when they broke our windows. They dragged me out, placed me in an unmarked vehicle, and detained me for eight hours.”
He detailed his detention at the Whipple Federal building, a focal point for anti-immigration raid demonstrations in the city, describing the deplorable conditions. Brandon mentioned the absence of food and the agents’ lack of visible badge numbers, making it impossible to identify them even if mistreatment occurred during their custody.
Despite facing online criticism and being labeled as an instigator, Brandon remained resolute after writing an opinion piece for the Star Tribune post-detention. He cited his proximity to the scene where ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot by federal agents as motivation for his continued involvement in protests.
On the morning of the incident, Brandon was part of a large crowd at the intersection of 26th Avenue and Nicollet Street when tear gas canisters were fired by agents, causing chaos and prompting people to flee. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara called for calm, urging protesters not to engage in destructive behavior.
For real-time updates on the situation, readers can follow a live blog provided by the Mirror.