Anti-ICE protestors were seen going full throttle against federal agents Sunday night … smashing glass windows and vandalizing a hotel where ICE and other federal agents were believed to be staying.
Video from the scene shows dozens of protesters swarming the Home2 Suites by Hilton in Minneapolis, crowding the front entrance and attempting to force their way inside.
Following viral online reports of agents staying at the hotel near the University of Minnesota campus … a crowd gathered and grew increasingly aggressive, setting off fireworks, banging trash cans, blowing whistles, and screaming.
At one point, protesters are seen smashing exterior windows — with “ICE OUT,” “F*** ICE,” and “ICE KILLS” spray-painted in red — and hurling snowballs at ICE agents.
Inside, men appearing to be officers attempted to protect themselves by dragging two vending machines to the entrance, using them to barricade against the unruly protesters. Other federal agents reportedly deployed tear gas and flash-bangs to disperse the crowd.
In another disturbing clip, a lone federal agent is seen guarding the hotel’s front entrance, menacing people with a long gun, arguing with a group of media members as his hand appears to be covered in blood. At one point, the agent cries out, “Where is the local PD?”
Check out the video … Minneapolis Police officers — dressed in day-glo safety gear to differentiate themselves — arrive to help disperse the scene … the university newspaper reports 40 officers managed to clear the scene.
Of course … tensions are boiling over following the fatal shooting of protester Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident, by Border Patrol agents on Saturday. Federal officials have defended the killing, claiming the agents feared for their lives … but that explanation is now under heavy scrutiny, as videos captured by eyewitnesses appear to directly contradict the official account. Saturday’s shooting comes nearly 3 weeks after Renee Good was killed by an ICE officer on a residential street in the city.