Minneapolis man accused of tackling ICE agent during Monday protest

Witnesses conflict with ICE account

Protesters clashed with immigration authorities in south Minneapolis on Monday afternoon, but a day later both sides offered conflicting accounts of how the chaos unfolded.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A man who was among a crowd of protesters who swarmed ICE agents during an operation near Karmel Mall in Minneapolis on Monday is accused of threatening and then tackling an ICE agent.

ICE agents swarmed by protesters in Minneapolis

The backstory:

ICE agents had to request help from the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office after being swarmed by a crowd of 60 to 70 protesters early Monday afternoon.

Agents were working to make an arrest in the area of Pillsbury Avenue and West 29th Street, about a block north of Karmel Mall, a Somali gathering spot, when the crowd formed. During the protest, agents were pelted with ice, snow, rocks, and water bottles, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.

The sheriff's office said they responded solely to assist with crowd control and helped just long enough to allow the ICE agents to leave the area.

Criminal charges filed

What we know:

A criminal complaint filed on Tuesday outlines the complaint against one of the people arrested during the skirmish between protesters and federal agents.

Maxwell Collyard is accused of assaulting an ICE agent during the protest. The complaint filed by Homeland Security Investigator Michael Raiff accuses Collyard of being part of the "mob" of people that approached federal agents in the area at Pillsbury and 29th. Agents say members of the group, including Collyard, yelled threats at ICE agents including, "We'll kill you."

At one point, agents say Collyard "assumed an aggressive posture, clenched his fists, and continued to threaten officers." At that point, agents used pepper spray on Collyard. But, according to the complaint, that didn't stop Collyard, who continued to advance toward agents. When the agent turned to help another officer, the complaint states, Collyard and members of the group tackled the agent to the ground.

During the chaos, an unidentified woman who was taken into custody for spray-painting ICE squads was able to run away, the complaint states.

Dig deeper:

Collyard has a pending case in Hennepin County for obstructing legal process and fleeing police.

That case stems from the large ICE protests in Minneapolis in June when a crowd gathered at Lake Street and Bloomington to protest a purported ICE raid that turned out to be a criminal investigation.

According to the complaint against Collyard, during that incident, he ripped something off an officer's vest, struggled with the officer, and sprayed something in his face before running away. He was arrested at a later date. Collyard is slated to face trial next month in that case.

Timeline:

When agents were finally leaving the scene, the agent who was tackled noticed a blue pickup truck trailing their squad, driven by Collyard. At that point, Collyard was arrested by agents.

The Department of Homeland Security told FOX 9 they arrested another man on Monday during the protest. As of Wednesday afternoon, FOX 9 has not located charges against that second man arrested. FOX 9 has reached out to the U.S. Attorney's Office to see where that case stands.

Collyard is currently being held in custody in Sherburne County Jail while the other individual is not listed on the jail roster at this time.