Police arrested 11 people after a confrontation in which two vehicles drove onto a sidewalk toward a crowd outside City Hall.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Activist Jake Lang was arrested Saturday on probable cause riot after Minneapolis police said two vehicles carrying Lang and six other people drove onto a sidewalk toward a crowd gathered outside City Hall.
Lang, 31, arrived near South Fourth Street and Third Avenue with six other people in two vehicles at about 11:50 a.m., according to the Minneapolis Police Department. Police said preliminary information showed the vehicles illegally entered the sidewalk and traveled east at a very slow speed toward people gathered there. A confrontation quickly developed between people around the vehicles and members of the crowd.
Police said a chemical irritant believed to be mace was used during the confrontation, potentially by people associated with opposing groups. Officers surrounded the vehicles and worked to move them off the sidewalk and away from the crowd. Police said officers were struck by thrown objects during the response and as the vehicles left the area.
Officers tracked both vehicles after they departed. The Minnesota State Patrol stopped one near Washington Avenue and southbound Interstate 35W, where Minneapolis police arrested all three occupants on probable cause riot. Bloomington police stopped the second vehicle near Lindau Lane and IKEA Way in Bloomington, where officers arrested Lang and three other occupants on the same probable cause basis. Both vehicles were impounded.
Police identified Lang by his full legal name, Edward Jacob Lang. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation of what police described as an apparent non-life-threatening injury that was not related to his arrest. He was booked into the Hennepin County Jail after being medically cleared. Police said two other people arrested Saturday also received medical evaluations before being booked.
Four additional people were arrested outside City Hall, bringing the total number of arrests connected with the confrontation to 11. Those arrests included allegations of disorderly conduct, obstructing legal process, assault and riot. Three Minneapolis police officers suffered apparent non-life-threatening injuries, and one officer was taken to a hospital and later released. Police also took a report from a man who said he was assaulted outside City Hall.
Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson said the department had known about the planned demonstration for weeks and prepared an incident plan that included barriers separating demonstrators from vehicle traffic. Peterson said allowing the two vehicles to leave the immediate area created space to de-escalate the confrontation before law enforcement partners stopped them elsewhere.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey condemned Lang at a news conference after the arrests while also saying demonstrators on opposing sides had First Amendment rights. Frey described Lang as a far-right extremist and known racist. He said free-speech protections did not extend to conduct that threatened public safety, including driving on the sidewalk toward a crowd.
The Minneapolis event came days after Lang helped organize an anti-Islam demonstration outside a Dearborn, Michigan, City Council meeting. Lang and Detroit pastor Lorenzo Sewell promoted that Aug. 18 event as a “Christian Crusader March.” Dearborn police reported 22 arrests during demonstrations outside the Henry Ford Centennial Library, where the council meeting had been moved amid security concerns. Police there said most participants remained peaceful and reported no injuries.
Lang also appeared in Minneapolis earlier this year during a January demonstration that drew counterprotesters. He was among people charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and was later pardoned. Saturday’s arrest was based on probable cause, and the allegation does not amount to a finding of guilt.
Minneapolis police said investigators are reviewing video and other evidence from Saturday’s confrontation. Additional arrests or charges remain possible as the investigation continues. The crowds outside City Hall had dispersed by about 2 p.m., police said.
Author note: Last updated August 23, 2026.