Far-right instigator and pardoned January 6 insurrectionist Jake Lang was arrested in Minnesota following a chaotic vehicle incident outside City Hall on Saturday.
The afternoon protest began around noon outside Minneapolis City Hall, drawing participants and counter-protesters. According to the Minneapolis Police Department, officers had been monitoring intelligence regarding the planned demonstration for several weeks. Bill Peterson, the Interim Chief for the Minneapolis Police Department, stated during a Saturday afternoon press conference that MPD had been aware of this demonstration for several weeks and developed a robust incident action in preparation for it. Peterson added that that plan included putting on duty significant numbers of personnel, working with our public safety partners and placing barricades outside City Hall designed to provide safe separation. Despite those precautions, tensions boiled over almost immediately once the gathering commenced, leading to physical confrontations and chemical irritants used by both sides. Police also stated there is no evidence an MPD officer on scene deployed any irritant.
Vehicle Incident and Police Response at City Hall
The situation escalated sharply when Jake Lang and two others, in two cars, unexpectedly drove onto the sidewalk and toward a crowd of counter-protesters. The sudden vehicular maneuver triggered chaos on the plaza, with counter-protesters swarming the automobiles as they attempted to navigate the pedestrian walkway. Shortly after, police say Lang and the two others fled the scene after their cars were overrun by counter-protesters.
Bill Peterson, Interim Chief for the Minneapolis Police Department stated that the best course of action that occurred was to let those vehicles leave the area, which essentially did de-escalate things, noting that it was not safe for them to make any sort of arrest on those individuals in that large crowd.
Law enforcement officials explained that trying to conduct immediate arrests amid the volatile, rapidly shifting crowd presented severe safety hazards for officers and bystanders alike. Peterson said during the press conference that three officers were injured, with one needing to be transferred to a local hospital. That officer has since been released and none suffered serious injuries.
Pursuit, Multi-Agency Arrests, and Injuries
Following the breach of the sidewalk, police say they tracked the cars afterwards, stopping one near Washington Avenue and Interstate 35W, where officers arrested three men. Bloomington police stopped the second car near Lindau Lane and IKEA Way, arresting Lang and three others. All members of Lang’s party were taken into custody on probable cause riot, according to police.
Lang was taken to the hospital with an apparent injury police say was not related to his arrest and was booked in the Hennepin County Jail after he was medically cleared.
Mayoral Condemnation and Previous Legal Trouble
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stated that if people are going to come in there, drive on the sidewalk, incite a riot, and be a problem for people’s safety, then they are going to get arrested. Frey added that that was exactly the case with Jake Lang, that was the case for some of the other supporters that were in the car, and that was also the case of some individuals that were inciting some form of violence.
Four additional arrests occurred outside City Hall. The Saturday confrontation adds to an accumulating legal docket for Lang in Minnesota. In March, Lang was arrested for destroying an ice sculpture on the front steps of the Minnesota Capitol, and he faces felony charges for destroying the sculpture. Lang was previously in Minnesota in February to hold a rally inside the rotunda at the Capitol, but did not have permission.
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