Far-right activist Jake Lang was arrested Saturday following a planned rally outside Minneapolis City Hall, which drew counterprotests in downtown Minneapolis.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS chopper and crews were on the air and ground on the scene. At one point, some supporters and protestors clashed, pushing each other around. Lang appeared to be in a car, with dozens of people following him around.
Edward Jacob Lang, better known as Jake Lang, announced on July 24 that he would return to Minneapolis for a “peaceful freedom of speech rally.” Lang, a pardoned Jan. 6 rioter, said Shiloh Hendrix was a guest. It is unclear if Hendrix was in attendance on Saturday.
As previously reported, Hendrix was convicted of directing racial slurs at an 8-year-old girl with autism at a Rochester playground. The 37-year-old was found not guilty on the first count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct but was found guilty on the second count for the interaction with the videographer.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS crews on scene said Lang left the area with police monitoring the rally. Lang did not come out of his car.
In an update from Minneapolis Police, investigators said they arrested Lang and others after the event.
According to police, at 11:50 a.m. Lang arrived at City Hall with six other people in two vehicles.
In a press conference, Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson said police knew about the event ahead of time and had planned for it, placing a “significant number of personnel” in the area and barriers around City Hall to create a safe separation between demonstrators and vehicle traffic.
However, as the vehicles neared Forest Street and Third Avenue South, Peterson said both vehicles unexpectedly drove onto the sidewalk toward a crowd of people.
Police said the vehicles were driving slowly, but others quickly surrounded both vehicles.
“Almost immediately, a confrontation developed between members of the crowd and individuals associated with both vehicles,” Peterson said. “Chemical irritant believed to be mace was deployed by individuals on both sides.
Officers then moved closer to the vehicles and directed both to get off the sidewalk and out of the area, police said.
The interim chief said multiple officers were assaulted by thrown objects as they attempted to get the vehicles off of the sidewalk and away from others. According to Peterson, three police officers sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the incident, which included one officer being taken to the hospital, who has since been released.
Peterson said officers allowed both vehicles to leave the area once they created a path to de-escalate the situation, but both were pulled over at a later time with help from other agencies.
The Minnesota State Patrol pulled over the first vehicle near Washington Avenue and southbound I-35W. Minneapolis Police then arrested all three on probable cause riot charges:
- Eric Wayne Dawson, 53
- Stephen Edward Major, 42
- Matthew Pike Oduguwa, 33
Oduguwa was taken to the hospital for a medical evaluation of chest pain and was taken to Hennepin County Jail after he was medically cleared.
Bloomington Police pulled over the second vehicle, which police said contained four people, including Lang, near Lindau Lane and IKEA Way. Minneapolis Police then arrested all four people for probable cause riot:
- Charles Oscar Miles Jr., 73
- John William-Kei Irwin, 32
- Jayden Daniel Scott, 23
- Edward Jacob Lang, 31
Minneapolis Police said Lang was transported to a hospital for evaluation of an “apparent non-life-threatening injury that was not related to his arrest.” After he was medically cleared, he too was taken to Hennepin County Jail.
“That (driving on the sidewalk) was the primary law that was broken to start the whole thing off,” Peterson said. “Any time there is crowds of people gathered, the last thing we want to see is vehicles driving towards them when we don’t know their whole intentions.”
In addition to Lang’s group, four other individuals were arrested outside City Hall:
- Tanner Duncan, 29 — arrested for disorderly conduct and obstructing legal process.
- William Nicholas Love, 33 – arrested for assault.
- Matthew Norby, 37 — arrested on probable cause of riot.
- Lucas Kaducak, 22 — arrested for disorderly conduct.
Norby was taken to a hospital to evaluate chest pain he had and was taken to jail after he was medically cleared.
Mayor Frey condemned Lang’s actions during the press conference.
“People on both sides are able to express their First Amendment rights even when I find what they’re saying to be abhorrent, and that’s certainly the case with Jake Lang,” Frey said. “And all the same, if you’re going to come in here, you’re going to drive on the sidewalk, you’re going to incite a riot, and you’re going to be a problem for people’s safety, then you’re going to get arrested, and that was exactly the case with Jake Lang.”
Saturday’s demonstrations came after Lang’s Jan. 17 appearance in Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge. Supporters and protesters clashed then over Lang’s anti-Muslim rhetoric.
