An illegal alien from Venezuela was shot in the leg Wednesday evening after he and two others allegedly attacked a federal immigration officer during an arrest attempt in Minneapolis, the Department of Homeland Security said.
DHS said federal law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted traffic stop about 6:50 p.m. CT involving the Venezuelan man, whom the agency said entered the United States illegally and was released into the country in 2022.
In an attempt to evade arrest, the suspect fled in his vehicle and crashed into a parked car, according to the statement. He then ran on foot when officers caught up with him.
DHS said the suspect resisted arrest and began violently assaulting the officer. While they struggled, two other individuals came out of a nearby apartment and also attacked the officer with a snow shovel and a broom handle, the agency said.
The statement said the original suspect then again engaged in the struggle, striking the officer with a shovel or similar object. “Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals,” the officer fired a defensive shot, striking the suspect in the leg, DHS said.
All three individuals ran back into the apartment and barricaded themselves inside, according to the statement. Both the injured suspect and the officer were hospitalized, and the two others accused of attacking the officer were taken into custody, DHS said.
Following the shooting, law enforcement officers established a perimeter as a crowd gathered near the scene. Local reporting indicates that law enforcement deployed chemical irritants against anti-enforcement agitators who were present, following similar unrest in the city.
In its post, DHS also criticized Minnesota political leadership, alleging that the incident occurred amid what the agency described as organized resistance to federal immigration enforcement by Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. The agency claimed that federal officers have faced a significant increase in assaults while performing immigration operations.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
