The FBI says that a suspect is in custody after protests in north Minneapolis Wednesday evening culminated in vandalism and the apparent compromising of federal documents.
“One individual who allegedly stole federal government property out of an FBI vehicle in Minneapolis last night has been arrested,” FBI Director Kash Patel announced Thursday evening. “The suspect is a member of the Latin Kings gang with a known violent criminal history.”
Patel did not release the identity of the person apprehended, but added “there will be more arrests.”
The incident happened after an ICE agent shot a man in the leg in north Minneapolis on Wednesday night. WCCO Photojournalist Tom Aviles was a few blocks away from the scene two hours after the shooting happened, and caught some of what happened.
Dozens of alleged protesters smashed through two parked, unmarked FBI vehicles. They then forcibly ripped out a large lock box from the trunk and tried desperately to open it.
The crowd then appeared to tear through a second vehicle and successfully break into the locked container, which was already emptied.
“It feels sort of surreal. It doesn’t feel this should be the world we have to live in,” one protester said.
A woman showed WCCO what she claimed was inside: documents that appear to be from the U.S. Marshals Service.
“How they’re picking them up, how they’re finding them, where they’re taking them to, how to access the buildings they’ve taken them to. The coins they receive for everyone they pick the f*** up,” she said.
Minneapolis police eventually moved in, deployed tear gas and pepper balls to disperse the crowd. Those looted SUVs, now covered in graffiti, were towed away.
The FBI earlier announced it was offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the vandalism and the return of stolen property.
