Federal agent shoots Venezuelan immigrant in leg during Minneapolis arrest attempt

The agent was allegedly beaten with “a snow shovel and broom handle” by two people who came to the assistance of the man.

It comes one week after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, also in Minneapolis, which has since sparked outrage from politicians and protests across the country.

In a press release the DHS said the agents were conducting the traffic stop “of an illegal alien from Venezuela who was released into the country by Joe Biden in 2022.”

“In an attempt to evade arrest, the subject fled the scene in his vehicle and crashed into a parked car. The subject then fled on foot,” the release stated.

The department claimed that after the agent caught up with the man, he “began to resist and violently assault the officer.” Two other people then came out of a nearby apartment and “also attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle.”

“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life. The initial subject was hit in the leg,” according to the DHS.

All three subjects reportedly ran back into the apartment and barricaded themselves inside, but were later detained by authorities. The arresting officer and the Venezuelan man are both being treated in the hospital, while the other two individuals are in custody.

The DHS statement also laid blame for the incident at the feet of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

In a press conference Wednesday night, Frey addressed protestors who were “taking the bait,” telling them to “go home.”

“This is not creating safety. It's certainly not creating safety when a huge percentage of the shootings that have taken place so far this year in Minneapolis have been by ICE,” he said.

“So let's be very clear, I've seen conduct from ICE that is disgusting and is intolerable. For those that have peacefully protested, I applaud you. For those that are taking the bait. You are not helping... Go home.”

Shortly before the latest incident was reported Wednesday, Walz gave a speech in which he called on the Trump administration to “end this occupation.”

Protestors were quick to gather near the scene of the shooting, with residents saying they were there to show solidarity with their community.

“I am supportive of my people and my community, and that people who support this are very stupid in ways that cannot be talked about,” one woman told CNN, adding that she had seen multiple raids in her apartment complex in the week since Good was shot.

The woman added: “I can’t be outside without being scared, without being worried that something is going to happen with just a turn of my head and I’m being locked up... because of the way I look. It’s very scary.”

Heavily armed Border Patrol agents later arrived in large, military-style vehicles to tape off the scene, according to The New York Times. In response the protestors reportedly threw snowballs at them and let off fireworks, forcing the agents back into the vehicles.

ICE agents also came to the scene in an unmarked SUV and sprayed chemicals in the faces of protesters who approached them, per The Times.

CNN reported that several flash-bang grenades and “multiple” tear gas canisters had been set off to disperse protestors making it difficult to breathe.

At Wednesday’s press conference, Minneapolis Chief of Police Brian O’Hara said the protests had, in some instances “absolutely become an unlawful assembly.”

“There are individuals throwing fireworks at police officers, individuals throwing ice, rocks, other projectiles at police officers. It is well past the line and people need to leave,” O’Hara said.