New video: What happened when ICE agents showed up at Minneapolis high school?
New video shows ICE agents arriving at Roosevelt High
What happened when ICE agents showed up at Minneapolis high school?
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Newly obtained surveillance video shows the chaotic scene where at least two dozen immigration agents clashed with a crowd outside of Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis, less than three miles from where an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good hours earlier.
Federal immigration agents were ‘annoyed’ by driver following them
What we know:
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims it was pursuing a driver in a Toyota pickup truck on Jan. 7 outside of Roosevelt High after she "bumped" into a Border Patrol vehicle.
The driver, Gillian Etherington, was following a convoy of federal agents as they conducted roving operations in Minneapolis, according to court records.
Etherington’s attorney said the agents "were annoyed" she was following them.
Surveillance video appears to show the tail end of that pursuit, which ended just outside Roosevelt High School as the driver made a U-turn and was then rammed by an agent’s SUV and boxed in by multiple vehicles.
The video shows agents, including some with their weapons drawn, swarming her car.
Etherington was arrested and now faces charges, including assaulting a federal officer and property damage.
A crowd forms and tensions rise as agents arrive at school
More than two dozen federal agents arrived on scene just as school was being dismissed. Among them was former Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino.
Bovino was effectively the front man for the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. His conduct was frequently documented on video during Operation Metro Surge.
Related: Border Patrol Chief was "outright lying" about previous ICE surge
Why you should care:
The city was already on edge after the fatal shooting of Renee Good just hours earlier.
Good was shot in her vehicle less than three miles away from the school.
In a recent interview with the FOX 9 Investigators, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the federal response was "incredibly irresponsible" from a leadership perspective.
"It’s almost like the reaction was consistently to just keep ramping things up," O’Hara said.
The video, which was obtained by the FOX 9 Investigators through a public data request, sheds new light on how the situation quickly escalated.
Within minutes of Etherington’s arrest, surveillance video shows a crowd forming outside the school as more agents arrived outside the school. Several agents ran toward the group, shoved people, and tackled others to the ground.
What they're saying:
A DHS spokesperson said at the time that officers used "targeted crowd control", did not deploy tear gas, and "at no point was a school, students or staff targeted."
However, video from an observer shows agents deploying chemical irritants on the crowd.
By the numbers:
At least four people were accused of assaulting or impeding a federal officer, including Quentin Williams – a paraprofessional at the school who was tackled by federal agents.
William’s case was ultimately dropped by federal prosecutors and his attorney said his arrest was part of a "propaganda show."
What's next:
Three other people still face charges in connection to what unfolded outside Roosevelt High School. Those cases are still pending in federal court.