Ex-CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested in Los Angeles early Friday morning after reportedly being indicted by a grand jury for charges stemming from the mob that stormed Cities Church earlier this month.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that federal agents, at her direction, arrested Lemon, Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy early Friday morning “in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.” She said more details would be released soon.
At my direction, early this morning federal agents arrested Don Lemon, Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy, in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
More details soon.
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 30, 2026
Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, confirmed the arrest and described it as an infringement on press freedoms.
“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” Lowell said in a statement. “The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable.”
Fort livestreamed as federal agents arrived at her home Friday morning, saying they informed her of a grand jury indictment and arrest warrant.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair said that Lemon was indicted by a federal grand jury.
Lundy, an intergovernmental affairs coordinator for Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, is running as a Democrat for Minnesota Senate District 65. He is also married to St. Paul City Council Member Anika Bowie.
The Daily Wire reported Friday afternoon that the seven defendants who have been indicted thus far are facing charges for violations of the FACE Act and conspiracy against the right of religious freedom at a place of worship.
The arrests stem from the Jan. 18 incident at Cities Church, where anti-ICE activists interrupted a Sunday worship service. The disruption, livestreamed by Lemon, involved agitators storming the sanctuary, chanting “Justice for Renee Good” and “ICE out,” and surrounding congregants, including families with children. An affidavit outlines how some of the agitators blocked stairwells, making parents unable to access their children who were in child care.
Lead pastor Jonathan Parnell called the disruption “shameful” and “unacceptable” during an exchange captured on Lemon’s livestream.
“We are grateful that the Department of Justice acted swiftly to protect Cities Church so that we can continue to faithfully live out the church’s mission to worship Jesus and make him known,” Parnell said in a statement Friday.
Doug Wardlow and Renee Carlson, attorneys for True North Legal who are representing Cities Church, said “the freedom to worship God without fear of violence and intimidation is a fundamental right that defines who we are as Americans.”
“True North Legal and Cities Church are grateful that the Department of Justice is committed to upholding that freedom and is holding the agitators who invaded the church accountable,” they added.
Organizers included civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong and St. Paul school board member Chauntyll Allen, who led chants inside the church and were both previously arrested for their roles along with activist William Kelly.
According to the Daily Wire, the indictment says Lemon “posted himself at the main door of the Church, where he confronted some congregants and physically obstructed them as they tried to exit the Church building to challenge them with ‘facts’ about U.S. immigration policy.”
Don Lemon: "I turned our camera off for them because they're giving some critical information here." https://t.co/NsKd5xyJ3T
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) January 30, 2026
It also says Lemon “thanked” Armstrong “for what she was doing and reassured her that he was ‘not saying … what’s going on,'” the Daily Wire reported.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., wrote on social media Friday that she met with Armstrong and Allen.
“The right to peacefully assemble is protected in our Constitution. The brutal treatment of nonviolent protesters must end,” the congresswoman said, adding in another post that Lemon and Fort “must be released immediately.”
The Justice Department launched an investigation shortly after the event, with Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon vowing to pursue federal charges.
This is a developing story.
Hayley Feland
Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
