Jake Lang arrested after vehicle drives toward Minneapolis crowd
Far-right activist Jake Lang was arrested Saturday after local law enforcement said vehicles associated with him drove onto a sidewalk toward a crowd gathered outside Minneapolis City Hall, the Minneapolis Police Department said in a Facebook post.
Newsweek has reached out to the Minneapolis Police Department and a law firm that previously has represented Lang for comment via email on Saturday.
Police said Lang, along with supporters in two vehicles, arrived near City Hall at about 11:50 a.m. local time. According to police, both vehicles drove onto the sidewalk in front of City Hall toward people gathered there before officers intervened and directed the vehicles out of the area.
The police department said officers then tracked the vehicles and with assistance from the Minnesota State Patrol and Bloomington police, was able to stop the cars. All occupants of both vehicles, including Lang, were arrested on probable cause riot, and both vehicles were impounded, according to authorities. Police also said additional arrests were made near City Hall.
The incident followed a rally organized by Lang that drew counterprotesters to downtown Minneapolis. Videos from the scene shared on social media and local news outlets showed tensions between opposing groups as police worked to separate participants.
In late-July, Lang announced he would return to Minneapolis for a “peaceful freedom of speech rally.” Lang previously claimed he was stabbed during a pro-ICE rally outside Minneapolis City Hall in January, stating he was attacked by a counterprotester during his "March Against Minnesota Fraud" demonstration.
As of Saturday evening, authorities had not announced formal charges beyond the arrest on probable cause riot.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey described Lang as a "far-right extremist and known racist," during a Saturday press conference.
Lang is a far-right political activist and commentator who first gained national attention for his participation in the January 6, 2021, riot on the U.S. Capitol. He was charged in connection with the insurrection and spent several years in pretrial detention before receiving a pardon by President Donald Trump in January 2025.
When the pardon was issued, Lang was facing a number of serious charges, including "assaulting, resisting, or impeding" law enforcement and civil disorder, with prosecutors alleging he struck police officers with an aluminum baseball bat and kicked one who fell on the ground. Lang has consistently denied any wrongdoing and insists he acted in self-defense after violence was initiated by the police.
Since his release, Lang has remained active in conservative and far-right political circles, organizing demonstrations, speaking at rallies and having launched a Republican campaign for a U.S. Senate seat in Florida.
Lang has repeatedly sparked criticism over racist and antisemitic rhetoric. He has also held demonstrations in several cities, including Dearborn, Michigan, home to one of the nation's largest Arab American communities. He has faced several arrests.
Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Hollie Silverman and Anthony Murray.