A political rally outside Minneapolis City Hall took a chaotic turn on Saturday after two vehicles associated with far-right activist Jake Lang drove onto a sidewalk toward a crowd, according to Minneapolis police. The confrontation brought shouting, chemical spray, physical clashes, and a police response that ultimately ended with Lang and 10 others arrested.
Lang arrived around 11:50 a.m. near South Fourth Street and Third Avenue with six other people traveling in two vehicles, police said. Officers had prepared for the demonstration for weeks, placing barriers around City Hall to separate demonstrators from traffic and positioning personnel nearby.
But the carefully planned security operation was tested almost immediately when both vehicles moved onto the sidewalk and slowly headed toward people gathered there.
The Moment Everything Escalated
Videos and photographs circulating online captured what happened next: officers moved around the vehicles while protesters crowded the area, and people on opposing sides confronted one another.
Police said a chemical irritant believed to be mace was used during the clash, potentially by people associated with both groups. The department stressed that Minneapolis officers did not deploy the mace. Officers eventually moved in to separate the groups and get the vehicles away from the sidewalk.
The scene also produced one of the day’s strangest images. A person wearing a Spider-Man costume was seen approaching Lang’s vehicle and appearing to confront people in the truck. The costumed protester quickly became a talking point online, with videos and photographs of the encounter spreading across social media. The bizarre image added a surreal quality to an otherwise tense and potentially dangerous confrontation.
Another detail helped explain the hostility surrounding Lang’s arrival. Local reporting showed a vehicle carrying a deliberately provocative racist sign aimed at Lang’s critics, saying “Jake Lang loves black people but hates [N-words].” The sign became another flashpoint as demonstrators and counter-protesters gathered around the vehicles.
Private security personnel were also present around Lang’s group. Local reporting described some as resembling immigration-enforcement officers, although they were private security rather than federal agents. The unusual appearance of the security detail added to the confusion as officers tried to control the crowd and move the vehicles away.
Related: Don’t accidentally incriminate yourself by answering these 9 common police questions
Police Let the Vehicles Leave, Then Followed Them
Officers eventually got the vehicles out of the immediate area, but they did not simply let the people inside disappear.
Police said a large crowd surrounded the cars, making it unsafe to arrest people at that moment. Instead, officers tracked the vehicles after they left Minneapolis and coordinated with other law-enforcement agencies. Officers stopped one vehicle with assistance from the Minnesota State Patrol near Washington Avenue and Interstate 35W. Three occupants were arrested.
A second vehicle was stopped by Bloomington police near Lindau Lane and IKEA Way, close to the Mall of America. Police arrested four people inside, including Jake Lang. Both vehicles were impounded.
Police identified the people arrested from the two vehicles as Charles Oscar Miles Jr., John William-Kei Irwin, Jayden Daniel Scott, Edward Jacob Lang, Eric Wayne Dawson, Stephen Edward Major and Matthew Pike Oduguwa. Police arrested all seven occupants on probable-cause riot allegations.
Four More Arrests Outside City Hall
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The arrests did not end with Lang’s group. Police also took four other people into custody near City Hall as investigators worked to determine who was involved in the confrontation.
Police identified the four as Tanner Duncan, William Nicholas Love, Matthew Norby and Lucas Kaducak. Their alleged offenses included disorderly conduct, obstructing legal process, assault and probable-cause riot. Police said an officer was assaulted during the incident and taken to a hospital, where the officer was later released.
The confrontation also resulted in other medical evaluations. Police said three officers suffered apparent non-life-threatening injuries. Norby was taken to a hospital and evaluated for chest pain before being booked, while Lang was evaluated for an apparent non-life-threatening injury that police said was unrelated to his arrest.
Jake Lang’s History Adds Another Layer
Saturday’s confrontation was not Lang’s first controversial appearance in Minneapolis.
The pardoned January 6 participant had previously drawn attention during a January demonstration outside City Hall, where anti-Islam rhetoric brought a large counterprotest. He was also arrested earlier this year after an incident involving an ice sculpture at the Minnesota State Capitol.
The Minneapolis rally came only days after Lang participated in a contentious demonstration in Dearborn, Michigan. That event also drew counter-protesters and required a significant police presence, putting Lang back in the spotlight before he arrived in Minneapolis.
Before the arrests, Minneapolis police said their priority was to separate opposing groups, protect public safety and intervene when probable cause existed. The department said its preparation included additional resources specifically because officials expected tensions around the planned demonstration throughout the afternoon and evening.
The Investigation Continues
By about 2 p.m., the crowds outside City Hall had dispersed, but the story was far from over.
Police said investigators were reviewing video and other evidence from the confrontation and that additional arrests or charges could follow. The 11 arrests included Lang and six people traveling with him, along with four people arrested separately around City Hall.
For Lang, the rally ended far differently from a routine political demonstration. What began with vehicles arriving outside City Hall became a tense encounter involving opposing groups, a bizarre Spider-Man appearance, chemical-spray allegations, injured officers, and multiple arrests.
The arrests are based on probable cause and do not establish guilt. Still, the images from Minneapolis, including the vehicles on the sidewalk and the costumed protester confronting Lang’s group, are likely to keep the confrontation in the public conversation long after the vehicles were towed away.
Who do you think was responsible for the escalation? What would you have done if you were standing in that crowd?
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