Right-wing influencer and activist Jake Lang was arrested Saturday, Aug. 22, after a confrontation outside Minneapolis City Hall, according to the Minneapolis Police Department. Police said Lang and six other people arrived in two vehicles shortly before noon and were later booked into the Hennepin County Jail on probable cause of riot.

The arrest is a preliminary law-enforcement action, not a conviction. The department’s public release did not announce that prosecutors had filed a formal riot charge against Lang as of Saturday night. Police said the investigation remained active and that additional arrests or charges were possible.

What Minneapolis police say happened

In its official incident release, the department said Lang arrived near South Fourth Street and Third Avenue with six others traveling in two vehicles. Preliminary information indicated that both vehicles drove illegally onto the sidewalk next to City Hall and moved east at a very slow speed toward a crowd gathered there.

Police said a confrontation quickly developed between people in the crowd and individuals associated with the vehicles. A chemical irritant believed to be mace was deployed, potentially by people associated with opposing groups. Officers surrounded the vehicles and moved them off the sidewalk and away from the crowd while objects were thrown toward officers, according to the release.

The vehicles left the immediate area and were stopped separately with help from other agencies. The Minnesota State Patrol stopped one vehicle near Washington Avenue and southbound Interstate 35W. Bloomington police stopped the second near Lindau Lane and IKEA Way. Minneapolis officers arrested all seven occupants on probable cause of riot and impounded both vehicles.

Lang booked after medical evaluation

Police identified Lang by his legal name, Edward Jacob Lang, and said he was one of four people in the vehicle stopped in Bloomington. Lang was taken to a hospital for an apparent non-life-threatening injury that police said was unrelated to his arrest. He was booked into the Hennepin County Jail after being medically cleared.

Four additional people were arrested outside City Hall on suspected offenses that included disorderly conduct, obstructing legal process, assault and riot, bringing the total number of arrests reported by police to 11. Three Minneapolis officers suffered apparent non-life-threatening injuries. One officer was evaluated at a hospital and released.

Why the arrest is drawing national attention

Lang previously faced federal criminal charges connected to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol before receiving a presidential pardon in 2025. That history, along with his online following and repeated public demonstrations, helped push the Minneapolis arrest into national trending searches.

CBS Minnesota reported that police tracked the two vehicles after they left City Hall and that every member of Lang’s group was taken into custody on probable cause of riot. MPR News also reported the arrest and the police allegation that the vehicles traveled onto the sidewalk toward the crowd.

Creator Newsdesk will update this report if prosecutors announce filed charges, if a court sets conditions of release, or if Minneapolis police release additional findings from the active investigation.