Masked federal agents arrested a U.S. citizen driver at gunpoint in Minnesota, the epicenter of the Trump administration’s anti-immigration campaign, according to video footage from the driver’s dashboard.
The woman — who has since been released — said she was merely observing and recording the actions of federal agents this week, though Homeland Security officials have accused her of interfering with operations and driving recklessly.
The dramatic incident took place on Thursday in Saint Peter, a small city roughly 70 miles southwest of Minneapolis.
In dash-cam footage obtained by Minnesota Public Radio, the woman’s car can be seen driving along a tree-lined road as she says, “I think someone needs to call 911. They are seriously, like, attacking me.”
A red car suddenly swerves in front of her and screeches to a halt. Three masked federal agents leap out, aim their weapons at the driver and shout, “Out of the car!”
“I will not get out of the car,” she responds. The agents then walk towards the sides of her parked vehicle, out of view of the camera.
“You can’t arrest me, I’m observing,” the woman says.
“You’re impeding a federal investigation,” one of the officers responds.
Amid sounds of commotion a voice from inside the car says, “We’re calling 911.” The video ends soon after.
The woman, who said she is a U.S. citizen and local resident, recounted the remainder of her experience to MPR. She said that after the confrontation, she was placed in one of the agent’s vehicles and driven in the direction of the Twin Cities. Meanwhile, her husband told the outlet that he spoke on the phone with the local police chief.
“He asked me, ‘what was your wife’s name’? I told him my wife’s name. He said, ‘was she picked up in a Bronco?’ And I said, ‘I’m not sure, but it was an SUV, dark colored. I’d have to look at my video.’ He goes, ‘I think I got her. I’ll call you back,’” the husband said.
A few minutes later, the husband said the chief had collected his wife and was transporting her home.
The incident appears to be the first time a local police department in Minnesota has intervened in a federal law enforcement action in the weeks after Donald Trump’s administration surged officers into the state to support his mass deportation campaign.
In the days after officers surged into the city, and after the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents, a number of Minnesota residents have taken to following agents to monitor their behavior. Some have said they seek to “frustrate” and “demoralize” officers in order to stop their “abductions,” according to organizers speaking to The Independent.
Local police, however, disputed the idea that they intervened with any federal operation.
“The Saint Peter Police Department was contacted regarding a resident who had an interaction with federal immigration authorities,” the department said in a statement Saturday. “The Saint Peter Police Department did not participate in, coordinate with, or intervene in any federal enforcement activity related to this incident.”
After local police received a call, federal officers dropped the woman at the police department, according to Saint Peter Police.
The chief then “ensured the resident was safely transported home and offered assistance, as we would for any member of our community who experiences distress or needs support,” police said.
The woman, who asked not to be identified, defended her actions, telling MPR that she was observing the activity of federal agents, who she was recording using her dashboard camera.
But, according to federal officials, the woman was interfering with a law enforcement operation.
“During a targeted enforcement operation to arrest a serial criminal illegal alien with multiple arrests for assault, domestic violence and DUI, an individual began stalking and obstructing law enforcement officers,” Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement on Saturday.
“Despite officers activating emergency lights to issue a warning, the individual ignored commands, drove recklessly — running stop signs, nearly causing collisions, and almost ramming our law enforcement vehicles,” the agency continued. “These actions endangered officers, the public and allowed the suspect to evade arrest…The individual was subsequently arrested.”
