FBI offers $100K reward after protesters rip safe box from ICE vehicle in north Minneapolis
Following a Wednesday evening ICE‑involved shooting in north Minneapolis’ Hawthorne neighborhood, protesters used ratchet straps to pull a locked storage/cabinet box from the trunk of a federal vehicle, dragging it down the street as several federal vehicles were vandalized and government property reportedly stolen; Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the cars likely belonged to the FBI and that documents were reportedly taken. The FBI has opened an investigation, released photos of a suspect (a Black male in a tan Carhartt jacket, tan pants, black hoodie, orange latex gloves and black boots) and is offering up to $100,000 for information leading to recovery of the stolen property or arrests, with tips to 1‑800‑CALL‑FBI, local offices or tips.fbi.gov.
📌 Key Facts
- DHS says agents attempted a targeted traffic stop of a Venezuelan man who fled, crashed into a parked car, and during a foot pursuit the agent was allegedly attacked by two people with a snow shovel and a broom handle, after which the agent fired one round that struck the man in the leg; family cellphone video shared by Sen. Erin Maye Quade (translated from Spanish) shows the wounded man on the floor with relatives saying 'Please help us, we have children,' a version critics say contradicts DHS’s self‑defense framing.
- The shooting occurred near Lyndale Avenue North and 24th Avenue North in the Hawthorne neighborhood around 6:50–7:00 p.m.; all three civilians were detained (DHS later named Julio Cesar Sosa‑Celis, Alfredo Alejandro Ajorna, and Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez‑Ledezma), both the wounded man and the ICE agent were hospitalized and expected to survive, and the Minnesota BCA has launched an independent Force Investigation Unit probe after processing the scene.
- Hundreds of people gathered after the incident; officials declared an unlawful assembly after fireworks and objects were thrown, deployed tear gas and flash‑bangs to disperse the crowd, and requested mutual aid from the State Patrol and Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.
- During the protest, video shows protesters using ratchet straps to rip a locked storage/cabinet box from the trunk of a federal vehicle, dragging it down the street and attempting to break it open; the FBI says several federal vehicles were vandalized, broken into and had government property stolen.
- The FBI opened a criminal investigation into the vandalism and theft, published tip lines (1‑800‑CALL‑FBI, local offices, U.S. embassies/consulates, tips.fbi.gov), released clearer photos of a suspect, and is offering up to $100,000 for information leading to recovery of stolen government property and/or arrests.
- The FBI’s released photos describe the suspect as a Black male wearing a tan Carhartt jacket, tan pants, a black hooded sweatshirt, orange latex gloves and black boots.
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the vandalized vehicles belonged to the FBI and that 'documents were reportedly taken' from one vehicle; federal officials and some friendly outlets have emphasized an 'ambush' narrative and self‑defense, while other outlets, elected officials and community members have shared bystander video and demanded independent investigations.
- The shooting is the second federal immigration‑related shooting in Minneapolis in a week, occurring amid Operation Metro Surge and the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good—events that have heightened neighborhood fear, spurred protests and legal challenges to DHS tactics, and prompted informal cop‑watching and legal‑observer patrols.
📊 Relevant Data
Venezuelan immigrants in the US had an incarceration rate of 241 per 100,000 in 2023, which is the lowest among immigrant groups and significantly lower than the native-born rate of 1,221 per 100,000.
Illegal Immigrant Incarceration Rates, 2010–2023 — Cato Institute
Undocumented immigrants in Minnesota contributed $222 million in state and local taxes in 2022, representing a significant economic input despite their legal status.
Undocumented immigrants contribute $222 million in Minnesota taxes — Minnesota Budget Project
Immigrants contribute approximately $26 billion to Minnesota's economy, with foreign-born workers accounting for nearly 60% of the state's labor force and employment growth from 2019-2023.
Economist: Immigrants contribute $26 billion to Minnesota's economy — MPR News
In the Hawthorne neighborhood of Minneapolis, the population identifying as Asian ancestry is 19.1%, with significant ethnic changes occurring between 1980 and 2000, including decreases in White population and increases in other groups.
Hawthorne, Minneapolis — Wikipedia
The Tren de Aragua gang, originating from Venezuela, has been identified in arrests in Minnesota, with DHS reporting 27 suspected members arrested, though its presence in the US is smaller than federal claims suggest.
Tren de Aragua's presence in the U.S. is smaller than federal officials claim — NPR
Operation Metro Surge by ICE targets criminal illegal aliens, including gang members, with over 400 arrests in Minnesota since December 2025, driven by sanctuary policies and aims to apprehend pedophiles, rapists, and violent offenders.
📰 Source Timeline (12)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 20, 2026
11:15 PM
FBI releases new photos of suspect who stole from federal vehicles
New information:
- FBI released additional, clearer photos of a specific suspect believed to have stolen a locked storage/cabinet box from a federal vehicle.
- The suspect is described in detail: Black male wearing a tan Carhartt jacket, tan pants, black hooded sweatshirt, orange latex gloves, and black boots.
- FOX 9 reiterates that the FBI’s $100,000 reward covers both recovery of the stolen government property and information leading to the arrest of those responsible.
January 15, 2026
11:28 PM
FBI offering $100K reward in vandalism, theft after Wednesday night ICE shooting
New information:
- FBI has formally opened an investigation into the vandalism and theft and is offering up to $100,000 for information leading to recovery of stolen government property and/or arrests.
- The FBI confirms that 'several' federal vehicles were vandalized, broken into and had government property stolen around 7 p.m. Wednesday after agents responded to an assault on a federal officer.
- The bureau published specific tip channels: 1‑800‑CALL‑FBI, local FBI offices, U.S. embassies/consulates, and tips.fbi.gov.
7:09 PM
North Minneapolis ICE shooting: What we know so far
New information:
- FOX 9 pins the shooting location more precisely to Lyndale Avenue North and 24th Ave N in the Hawthorne neighborhood.
- DHS’s narrative is laid out in more detail: ICE says they initiated a targeted traffic stop of a Venezuelan man, he fled by car and crashed into a parked vehicle, then allegedly resisted arrest and was joined by two people from a nearby house armed with a shovel and a broom handle, prompting the agent to fire and hit him in the leg.
- DHS publicly identifies the three detainees by name and nationality: Julio Cesar Sosa‑Celis, Alfredo Alejandro Ajorna, and Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez‑Ledezma, all described as Venezuelan nationals allegedly in the U.S. illegally.
- The article confirms all three men are detained but had not yet been criminally charged at the time of publication; the wounded man is expected to survive.
- It documents the crowd response in this specific incident: hundreds gathered, fireworks and thrown objects prompted an unlawful‑assembly declaration, with tear gas and flash‑bangs deployed and mutual aid from State Patrol and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.
- It notes this is the second ICE‑involved shooting in Minneapolis in a week, explicitly tying it to the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good and the resulting street‑level anger.
7:08 PM
Minneapolis ICE shooting: Protesters tear locked box from federal car
New information:
- During the north Minneapolis ICE shooting protest, protesters used ratchet straps to rip a locked storage/cabinet box from the trunk of a federal vehicle as the driver pulled away, dragging it down the street.
- Video from freelancer Brendan Gutenschwager shows protesters chasing the vehicle, then gathering around the detached box and attempting to break it open.
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she believes the vandalized cars belonged to the FBI rather than DHS, and that 'documents were reportedly taken' from one of the vehicles, though she did not specify what was inside the box.
1:51 PM
Minneapolis ICE shootings: Trump threatens to institute Insurrection Act
New information:
- Adds that President Donald Trump has publicly threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act specifically in response to Minneapolis ICE protests and clashes.
- Clarifies that Trump is framing protesters as 'professional agitators and insurrectionists' attacking 'Patriots of ICE,' and says he will deploy troops if Minnesota leaders do not stop them.
- Connects the threat explicitly to the Jan. 14 ICE leg‑shooting in north Minneapolis and the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good, situating the law‑and‑order rhetoric directly on those Twin Cities incidents.
1:29 PM
Minneapolis ICE shooting: BCA launching independent investigation
New information:
- BCA publicly confirms its Force Investigation Unit is conducting an independent investigation into Wednesday night’s ICE shooting in north Minneapolis and has already processed the scene.
- DHS narrative is detailed: agents say they tried a 7 p.m. traffic stop on a Venezuelan man, he fled and crashed into a parked car, then allegedly resisted arrest and was joined by two people from a nearby house who reportedly attacked the agent with a shovel and broom handle before the agent fired one round, hitting the man in the leg.
- All three civilians — the wounded man and the two alleged attackers — were taken into custody; both the suspect and the agent were hospitalized and are expected to survive.
- FOX 9 underscores that, unlike the Renee Good killing, the FBI has blocked BCA access to evidence in Good’s case, and that exclusion is now one of the grounds in Minnesota’s lawsuit seeking to rein in Operation Metro Surge.
- The article ties the timing directly to the civil case: the same day, a federal judge denied a temporary restraining order to halt ICE’s crackdown but fast‑tracked the state’s lawsuit, ordering DOJ to respond by Monday, while Hennepin County Attorney and AG Ellison’s office set up an online portal to collect public evidence in the Good shooting.
12:31 PM
LIVE UPDATES | ICE in Minnesota: What we know so far about the second ICE-involved shooting
New information:
- Confirms the shooting location as near Lyndale Avenue North and 24th Avenue North in the Hawthorne neighborhood.
- Details DHS’s official account: a 'targeted traffic stop' of a Venezuelan man alleged to be in the U.S. illegally, vehicle fleeing and crashing into a parked car, foot pursuit, alleged attack on an officer, and two additional people allegedly striking the officer with a shovel and broom handle before the agent fired.
- States that the ICE agent fired one or more shots, striking the man in the leg; the man then went into a nearby house and refused to come out before being taken into custody.
- Confirms that both the Venezuelan man and the ICE agent were transported to hospitals and are expected to survive.
- Reports that the Minnesota BCA has now launched an independent investigation into this shooting — explicitly contrasting it with the BCA being excluded from the Renee Good case — and has already processed and cleared the scene.
- Provides operational protest details: hundreds in the crowd, mutual‑aid request to State Patrol and Hennepin County Sheriff, unlawful assembly declared, and use of tear gas and flash‑bangs to disperse people after fireworks and thrown objects.
6:08 AM
DHS: Federal agent shoots Venezuelan man after being ambushed in Minneapolis
New information:
- Alpha News foregrounds DHS’s official claim that the Minneapolis shooting of a Venezuelan man was an 'ambush' on a federal agent, emphasizing the department’s framing that the officer acted in self‑defense after being attacked.
- The article leans heavily on DHS talking points and omits or downplays conflicting details that have appeared in other outlets — such as bystander video released by Sen. Erin Maye Quade showing the wounded man on the floor while family members plead for help.
- The piece underscores how DHS is trying to reassert its public narrative in friendly media as lawsuits and local officials question the legality and proportionality of force in this second federal shooting in Minneapolis.
5:52 AM
Second person in a week shot by federal immigration agent in Minneapolis
New information:
- Confirms this case is the second time in a week that a federal immigration agent has shot someone in Minneapolis.
- Reports that AP and local outlets have a more detailed DHS account: a targeted traffic stop of a Venezuelan suspect, ensuing vehicle crash and foot chase into a house, and DHS’s claim that two additional people attacked the agent with a snow shovel and broom handle before he fired a single leg shot.
- Details that new cellphone video from inside the home, shared by Sen. Erin Maye Quade and translated from Spanish, captures the wounded man on the floor while family members shout, 'Please help us, we have children,' contradicting the tone of DHS’s bare-bones self-defense narrative.
- Adds a precise timeline from MPD: a 911 call around 6:50 p.m., the suspect retreating into the home, removal by ambulance as a crowd gathered, and a subsequent unlawful-assembly declaration and mutual-aid response to manage protesters.
- Situates the shooting explicitly within the context of Operation Metro Surge and the Renee Good killing a week earlier, highlighting mounting protests, neighborhood fear and political scrutiny of federal tactics.
5:48 AM
Fear and anger spread after another immigration shooting in Minneapolis
New information:
- Pulls together neighborhood reaction, describing how residents in the area where the Venezuelan man was shot now say they are afraid to leave home or interact with officers and agents, even for routine needs.
- Details specific examples of daily‑life disruption: immigrant-owned stores reporting sharp customer drops, families changing school drop-off routines, and people avoiding bus stops or walking routes where agents have been seen.
- Quotes Twin Cities officials, clergy and advocates who say the second shooting, coming days after the Renee Good killing, has turned the immigration surge into a full-blown legitimacy crisis for DHS and is hardening calls for independent investigations and limits on where and how ICE operates in the city.
- Captures how social media video of both shootings and of other aggressive arrests (Border Patrol kneeing a man, agents shoving a council member, etc.) are circulating in neighborhood channels and fueling the sense that federal forces are out of control.
- Adds context that some residents now see Minneapolis neighborhoods as 'occupied' and are organizing informal cop‑watch or legal‑observer patrols to film any interaction between agents and civilians.
5:34 AM
Minneapolis ICE shooting: Video claims to show man shot by ICE calling for help
New information:
- Publishes and translates a new interior cellphone video, shared by Sen. Erin Maye Quade, purportedly from inside the home moments after the ICE shooting.
- Audio (translated from Spanish) captures family members yelling, “Please help us, we have children! I have a baby,” and, “My husband was being chased for about half an hour… he came home and when we closed the door, they shot him. They were far away from us.”
- DHS’ detailed narrative that two additional people allegedly attacked the ICE agent with a snow shovel and broom handle, that the suspect struck the agent with one of those objects, and that the shot to the leg was described as a “defensive” shot during that struggle.
- Clarifies DHS’s version of the lead‑up: a “targeted traffic stop of an illegal alien from Venezuela,” alleged vehicle crash into a parked car, foot pursuit, then struggle and shooting.
- Confirms timeline from MPD: 911 call about 6:50 p.m.; man retreats into home and refuses to come out; federal agents ultimately enter and bring him out by ambulance; crowd gathers, unlawful assembly declared after fireworks and objects thrown at law enforcement; mutual‑aid response from State Patrol and Hennepin County Sheriff.