WATCH: ICE Agent Nails Rioter in the Face With a Pepperball at Close Range as Chaos Erupts in Minnesota

by Jim Hᴏft Jan. 7, 2026 3:20 pm

Chaos erupted on the streets of Minneapolis on Wednesday as federal immigration enforcement agents were forced to deploy non-lethal munitions to disperse a hostile crowd of agitators after ICE fatally shot a rioter who attempted to run over agents in Minneapolis.

According to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the incident began while federal agents were conducting “targeted enforcement operations” in the neighborhood as part of a massive surge of 2,000 federal officers into the Twin Cities area.

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated that a group of “rioters” had begun blocking ICE officers.

The agency alleges that one individual—identified by local sources as a 37-year-old U.S. citizen—”weaponized her vehicle” in a deliberate attempt to kill federal agents.

“An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement, and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots,” the DHS statement read. “The alleged perpetrator was hit and is deceased.”

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem later characterized the driver’s actions as an act of “domestic terrorism.”

As news of the shooting spread, hundreds of demonstrators descended on the area. Tensions boiled over into physical confrontations, with federal agents deploying pepper spray, flash-bangs, and paintballs to push back crowds.

By midday, the neighborhood had effectively become a standoff zone.

JLR©
@JLRINVESTIGATES
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Chaos in the streets of Minneapolis.

Rioters chased police away.



3:19 PM · Jan 7, 2026

Jackson Hinkle
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BREAKING: Video shows chaos in Minnesota after an ICE-involved shooting.



https://twitter.com/i/status/2008996286650007917

3:16 PM · Jan 7, 2026

https://twitter.com/i/status/2008978190832648212

A video circulating online, captured by X user Dymanh Chhoun, shows an agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) firing a pepperball round directly into the face of a rioter, who allegedly tried to grab the gun from the agent.

Chhoun wrote: “Happening right now in South Minneapolis near Portland Avenue and 34th Street, people are protesting a shooting that occurred earlier today.”

WATCH:

https://twitter.com/i/status/2008964179387142358

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/202...perball-close/