Officers, including Police Chief Brian O’Hara, withdrew from a downtown Minneapolis area Friday night after confrontations with anti-ICE demonstrators escalated into violence, according to video and eyewitness accounts.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Minneapolis police officers, including Police Chief Brian O’Hara, retreated from a downtown area late Friday night after being attacked and chased by anti-ICE rioters amid escalating unrest following the fatal shooting of anti-ICE activist Renee Nicole Good, according to multiple videos and on-scene reports.
Video footage circulating online shows officers abandoning streets as a large crowd advanced toward them, shouting demands and forcing police vehicles to speed away. The withdrawal left the area temporarily under the control of demonstrators protesting federal immigration enforcement operations carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The unrest followed the death of Good, who was shot last week after nearly striking an ICE agent with her vehicle during an enforcement operation. Demonstrations intensified after the shooting, with protesters gathering in several downtown locations.
Independent journalist Nick Sortor, who was present during the clashes, posted video showing officers in full retreat as protesters moved forward. In one recording, Sortor can be heard calling out, “Hey chief, why are you letting your city get like this?” as officers withdrew. No response was audible as police focused on leaving the area.
Footage shared by activist media accounts showed protesters surrounding and confronting officers during what was described as an escort of a police vehicle out of the protest zone. One post stated that Minneapolis police were “attacked by anti-ICE rioters while escorting police car out of the protest zone,” alongside video of officers retreating, as seen in a post by FRONTLINES TPUSA on X dated Jan. 10, 2026.
Additional video posted by Sortor described the scene as police “surrendering” the area after officers were attacked, asserting that demonstrators had “taken over” the streets. In his post, Sortor wrote: “MINNEAPOLIS POLICE SURRENDER TO ANTI-ICE RIOTERS AFTER OFFICERS ATTACKED. They have now RUN AWAY and ABANDONED the area which has been TAKEN OVER by leftist anarchists. IT’S TIME FOR THE INSURRECTION ACT, PRESIDENT TRUMP! LOCAL POLICE HAVE CEDED CONTROL TO ANARCHISTS.”
Other footage posted by Cam Higby showed protesters blocking roads near the Canopy Hilton hotel, which demonstrators believed was housing ICE agents. In one post, Higby wrote that rioters had “established their own Quasai POLICE FORCE,” blocking streets with vehicles and bodies while directing movement in the absence of local law enforcement.
Additional videos showed protesters surrounding hotels and attempting to break windows. One post stated, “MINNEAPOLIS: Rioters have surrounded the hotel that ICE officers are suspected to be staying at and are attempting to break the windows,” accompanied by video dated Jan. 10, 2026. Another video claimed rioters had breached a separate hotel believed to be housing ICE agents.
Journalist Jack Posobiec, who said he was also on the ground in Minneapolis, posted on X: “BREAKING: Antifa have breached the doors of this hotel in Minneapolis and have begun destroying the lobby,” alongside video footage of the scene.
Authorities had not announced arrests or provided a formal accounting of injuries as of early Saturday. Minneapolis police have not released an official statement detailing why officers withdrew from the area or how long the streets remained under protester control.
The clashes mark the latest escalation in unrest following Good’s death, which has sparked ongoing demonstrations and confrontations with law enforcement as federal immigration operations continue in the city.
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