Federal agent shoots Venezuelan man in leg after being ambushed in Minneapolis, DHS says

"This attack on another brave member of law enforcement took place while Minnesota's top leaders, Governor Walz and Mayor Frey, are actively encouraging an organized resistance to ICE and federal law enforcement officers," DHS said.

By
Anthony Gockowski
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Anti-ICE rioters destroyed and looted vehicles belonging to federal agents on Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Photo by Chris Birt)

A federal agent shot an illegal alien in the leg after being ambushed and attacked Wednesday night in north Minneapolis, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

DHS said the incident began around 6:50 p.m. when federal agents were conducting a targeted traffic stop “of an illegal alien from Venezuela who was released into the country by Joe Biden in 2022.”

According to the agency, the subject fled the scene in his vehicle, crashed into a parked car, and then fled on foot.

The officer chased after the subject on foot and attempted to apprehend him when the subject began to resist and violently assault the officer, DHS said in a statement. As the two struggled on the ground, DHS said two additional people exited a nearby apartment and attacked the officer with a shovel and a broom handle.

“As the officer was being ambushed and attacked by the two individuals, the original subject got loose and began striking the officer with a shovel or broom stick,” DHS explained. “Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life. The initial subject was hit in the leg.”

All three subjects ran back into the apartment and barricaded themselves inside. The attacked officer and subject are both in the hospital. Both attackers are in custody.

“This attack on another brave member of law enforcement took place while Minnesota’s top leaders, Governor Walz and Mayor Frey, are actively encouraging an organized resistance to ICE and federal law enforcement officers,” DHS said.

“Their hateful rhetoric and resistance against men and women who are simply trying to do their jobs must end,” the agency continued. “Federal law enforcement officers are facing a 1,300% increase in assaults against them as they put their lives on the line to arrest criminals and lawbreakers.”

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said during a Wednesday night press conference that a crowd had gathered at the scene of the shooting and was “engaged in unlawful acts.”

“They’ve thrown fireworks at police officers and at multiple times gas has been deployed,” he said. “Police are attempting to disperse this unlawful assembly at this time.”

Videos from the scene showed anti-ICE rioters raiding federal vehicles, slashing tires, and busting windows.

In a statement Thursday, DHS identified Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis as the subject of the enforcement operation, and Alfredo Alejandro Ajorna and Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez-Ledezma as the other two involved.

“What we saw last night in Minneapolis was an attempted murder of federal law enforcement. Our officer was ambushed and attacked by three individuals who beat him with snow shovels and the handles of brooms. Fearing for his life, the officer fired a defensive shot,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. “Mayor Frey and Governor Walz have to get their city under control. They are encouraging impeding and assault against our law enforcement which is a federal crime, a felony. This is putting the people of Minnesota in harm’s way.”

 

Anthony Gockowski
Website

Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.

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