Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioter Jake Lang Arrested After Vehicles Drive Toward Crowd at Minneapolis City Hall

MINNEAPOLIS — Far-right activist Jake Lang and several members of his group were arrested Saturday after two vehicles associated with Lang drove onto a sidewalk outside Minneapolis City Hall toward a crowd of people gathered there, according to the Minneapolis Police Department.

According to police, the incident began shortly before noon Saturday when Lang and his group arrived at City Hall in two vehicles. Officers said both vehicles drove onto the sidewalk toward a group of people assembled outside the building. Minneapolis police officers then “moved in” to force the vehicles off the sidewalk, according to a social media statement from the department. Police said both Lang’s group and counter-protesters deployed mace during the confrontation, while no Minneapolis officers used mace themselves.

Following the incident, police tracked down Lang’s two vehicles to separate locations: one was stopped near Washington Avenue and Interstate 35W, and the other was stopped in Bloomington near Lindau Lane and IKEA Way. Police said all occupants in the vehicles, including Lang, were arrested on probable cause of riot, and both vehicles were impounded. Four additional arrests were made at the City Hall scene itself, according to police.

Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson said at a subsequent news briefing that three officers were injured during the confrontation, ranging from an ankle rolled over by one of Lang’s vehicles to an officer struck in the head with what Peterson described as a “hard object.” One injured officer was hospitalized and later released. The four additional arrests made near City Hall were on suspicion of disorderly conduct and assault, among other alleged violations, according to Peterson.

Lang, 30, served four years in prison for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, where he was charged with inflicting bodily injury on police officers. He received a presidential pardon from Donald Trump in January 2025 and has since built a public profile as a far-right activist, provocateur and political candidate, currently running in the 2026 Republican U.S. Senate primary in Florida.

Saturday’s arrest was not Lang’s first confrontation in Minneapolis. According to the Star Tribune, he staged an anti-Islam rally outside City Hall in January following the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent during a federal immigration crackdown in the city. Lang said he returned to Minneapolis Saturday to advocate on behalf of a Rochester woman who had used a racial slur against a Black autistic child, according to a post on his account on the social platform X.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey had publicly urged residents to avoid Saturday’s rally in a post on X earlier in the week. “Let this lame-ass racist rally fall flat and fade into irrelevance,” Frey wrote ahead of the event.

Lang has developed an extensive public record of activism and legal controversy since his 2025 pardon. According to a background analysis published by the American Jewish Committee, Lang has leveraged the notoriety of his pardon to build prominence within far-right political circles, particularly among younger conservatives, while promoting rhetoric the organization characterized as fueling antisemitism and anti-Muslim bigotry. That same analysis noted Lang has espoused conspiracy theories involving claims of Jewish control over banking and finance, even as he has separately disclosed his own partial Jewish heritage through his mother.

Lang’s activism has repeatedly drawn confrontation and legal consequences in other cities as well. He was previously chased away from an event outside the 2026 BET Awards in Los Angeles after appearing with signs featuring racist messaging, while wearing a bulletproof vest displaying a Confederate flag and a hat bearing an Iron Cross symbol historically associated with Nazi Germany, according to Complex’s coverage of that incident. Separately, Lang organized a “Protect White People” rally in Frisco, Texas, that drew broader public backlash after he attempted to use the image of a deceased teenager in his promotional materials without the endorsement of the boy’s family, according to reporting on that event.

The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism has documented an extensive timeline of Lang’s activities since his pardon, including instances of burning copies of the Quran, publicly harassing Muslim individuals, displaying racist banners, and burning Pride flags, according to the organization’s published research. That same organization has described Lang as having accumulated numerous criminal charges over the course of his activism, including allegations of making terroristic threats.

Saturday’s arrest adds to that pattern of legal entanglements tied to Lang’s public demonstrations. As of Saturday afternoon, Minneapolis police had not disclosed how many total individuals were arrested in connection with the incident beyond Lang and the occupants of his two vehicles, nor had officials confirmed whether Lang remained in custody. Police indicated that additional information regarding the incident would be provided during a forthcoming press conference involving Mayor Frey and Minneapolis police officials.

The confrontation outside City Hall reflects a broader pattern that has followed Lang’s public appearances in various cities since his release from prison, in which his demonstrations have frequently drawn organized counter-protests and, at times, physical confrontations between his supporters, counter-demonstrators and law enforcement. Saturday’s arrest marks one of the more serious legal consequences Lang has faced during this current wave of public activism, given the riot charge stemming directly from vehicles associated with his group driving toward a crowd of bystanders outside a municipal government building.

As of this report, it remained unclear how many additional individuals beyond the initial arrests near City Hall and the vehicle occupants stopped later in Washington Avenue and Bloomington had been taken into custody in connection with Saturday’s events. Minneapolis police said further details, including the total number of arrests and the current custody status of those involved, would be addressed during the planned press conference with city officials.