Independent journalist Nick Sortor was attacked and robbed while reporting from Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood Sunday evening.
The incident occurred in an area with a significant Somali immigrant population, which residents sometimes call “Little Mogadishu.”
Sortor was conducting on-the-ground reporting when a woman approached his vehicle and seized his camera equipment valued at approximately $1,000.
The equipment was taken directly from his possession, prompting him to pursue the suspects on foot.
The suspects fled in a red Kia K5 sedan bearing Minnesota license plate ZKG 007.
During their escape, Sortor’s hand became caught in the vehicle’s door handle. He was subsequently pulled alongside the moving car across an icy sidewalk for multiple feet.
The situation posed serious risk to the journalist’s physical safety.
Following the initial theft and dragging incident, Sortor found himself surrounded by individuals he characterized as masked agitators.
Bystanders present during the incident did not provide assistance, according to his account.
The suspects allegedly pursued Sortor’s vehicle for roughly 30 minutes afterward, repeatedly honking and creating what he described as a threatening environment.
The New York Post reported these details based on accounts of the incident.
Sortor shared his experience on social media platform X shortly after the attack occurred.
“BREAKING: A group of Somali thugs just ROBBED me of my $1,000 camera in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis,” he said.
“They then DRAGGED ME DOWN THE STREET as my hand got trapped in their door handle. NOBODY bothered helping. DHS MUST RAID THIS PLACE!” he wrote.
The journalist sustained injuries during the encounter, primarily to his hand from being dragged.
He described himself as “banged up” but reported no serious harm beyond scrapes and hand injuries from the pavement contact.
Witnesses captured portions of the incident on video.
Audio from footage includes people shouting, “She took Nick’s camera!” as events unfolded.
The getaway vehicle can be seen maneuvering erratically to avoid capture.
Another political demonstration in Minneapolis turned violent Saturday when counterprotesters attacked a group of right-wing activists.
The confrontation centered around Jake Lang, a 29-year-old activist who received a presidential pardon last July after spending nearly four years in custody related to January 6 charges.
Lang had organized the demonstration as part of his ongoing activism against what he describes as Islamic expansion in America.
Lang arrived at the Minneapolis location with approximately ten supporters.
The group gathered near the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building and Minneapolis City Hall, where they chanted phrases including “Send the Somalis back” and “We stand with ICE.”
The situation deteriorated rapidly when a significantly larger group of counterprotesters arrived at the scene. Within the first hour, tensions escalated from verbal confrontations to physical violence.
Video footage from the incident shows counterprotesters launching projectiles at Lang’s group, including water balloons, snowballs, and various other objects. The situation intensified when members of the opposing crowd rushed toward the activists.
During the melee, Lang was pulled into the crowd and subjected to multiple assaults.
Footage captured him being punched repeatedly and dragged across the ground by his legs.
He sustained injuries to his head that later required medical staples to close.
The most serious attack came when at least one member of the counterprotesting crowd stabbed Lang in the chest.
He survived the stabbing due to body armor he was wearing beneath his clothing.
The protective chest plate prevented what medical experts would likely categorize as potentially life-threatening injuries.
Following the attack, counterprotesters seized Lang’s damaged chest plate and displayed it on social media platforms as a symbolic victory.
On-the-ground journalist Cam Higby documented that Lang’s head wound likely resulted from being struck with a wooden flagpole.
“He was hit with ice blocks, water balloons, paint balls and other weapons,” Higby reported from the scene.
Lang managed to escape to a nearby hotel before fleeing the area by vehicle while still being pursued by members of the crowd.
Other members of Lang’s group also sustained injuries during the confrontation. Multiple activists were filmed leaving the scene with visible wounds and requiring medical attention.
The violence extended beyond Lang’s immediate group.
Independent journalist Julio Rosas documented an attack on a man wearing an American flag sweatshirt.
Video shows multiple counterprotesters surrounding and assaulting the individual while demanding he remove his patriotic clothing.
Another incident captured on video shows masked individuals attacking a man in a camouflage jacket.
The assault continued until someone in the crowd identified him as “one of us,” after which they allowed him to stand.
