Minneapolis police chief condemns ICE agent seen dragging woman, kneeling on her back

The Minneapolis police chief condemned Immigration and Customs Enforcement after an agent was seen dragging an allegedly pregnant woman down the street and kneeling on her back during an arrest attempt earlier this week.

The video, shot in a Minneapolis neighborhood on Monday, showed people yelling at ICE officers to release the woman, saying she was pregnant and couldn’t breathe.

An agent was captured on video kneeling on the woman’s back and then grabbing her by one arm and dragging her toward a vehicle in the snow.

“Let him go! Let him go!” Witnesses shouted as the agent dragged the woman across an intersection.

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The woman was eventually released from the agent’s grasp.

Local police were called to the scene by a federal agent who claimed the officers needed assistance, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said at a news conference Tuesday.

However, when police arrived, there was no violence against federal officers, O’Hara said, adding that other law enforcement officers may have been using “questionable methods.”

“Once it was determined that the scene was safe and no violence had occurred, our officers left the scene,” O’Hara said. he said.

“We have been training our officers very intensively on de-escalation for the last five years,” he continued. “But unfortunately that’s not the case; that’s often not what we see from other institutions in the city.”

O’Hara also told Reuters that the images of the woman being dragged down the street were “extremely disturbing”.

“This appalling disregard for human dignity is appalling,” he said. “What appears to be a lack of accountability from our federal partners is deeply concerning.”

Lauryn Spencer, the woman who filmed the incident, was driving on her lunch break when she heard whistles and horn sounds used to alert ICE agents in the area.

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Activists confronted a group of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, a large Somali neighborhood. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)

Spencer said he approached the scene and immediately began recording, but was pushed back by an agent when he tried to ask the dragged woman what her name was. Spencer said he and other spectators were also sprayed with chemical irritants.

“They were being very aggressive from the beginning, as if there was never a time when they tried to use diplomacy,” he told The Associated Press. “I didn’t see anyone throwing anything hard. Snowballs were definitely being thrown, but we didn’t start throwing snowballs until they started dragging him by his ankle.”

Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin claimed federal agents targeted a vehicle while protesters were “throwing rocks, ice chips, attacking officers and using pepper spray.” He said two men were charged with assaulting federal officers and remain in custody, and the agents suffered injuries, including cuts.

McLaughlin also claimed that agents attempted to arrest the woman in the video for “running into an icing vehicle and trying to harm it,” but they abandoned the arrest after she was surrounded by protesters.

According to CBS News Minnesota, the footage shows ICE agents breaking a window before detaining a male driver. A short time later, agents detained the woman who was seen being dragged in the video.

Agents were also seen fending off protesters who threw snowballs at them. Agents used chemical irritants and one of them used a stun gun before yelling at the crowd: “Who wants more?”

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the images of the woman being dragged down the street were “extremely disturbing.” (Reuters/Tim Evans)

Tensions are rising in Minneapolis-St. Paul area comes as federal authorities continue their crackdown on immigrants as part of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.

Former Minnesota state legislator Hodan Hassan said he believes ICE tactics have become harsher as the immigration enforcement operation in the area continues.

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“The first week they weren’t very aggressive. They were stopping people. The second week we saw them really aggressive,” he told The Associated Press.

The shooting in south Minneapolis occurred just miles from where George Floyd was killed in 2020 by then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck, sparking nationwide protests advocating for racial justice and police reform. Chauvin was sentenced to prison for murder and violating Floyd’s civil rights.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.