Who Is Jake Lang? Far-Right Activist Arrested After Minneapolis Rally

Jake Lang, whose legal name is Edward Jacob Lang, is a 31-year-old far-right activist and social-media personality who was previously charged in connection with the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol before receiving a presidential pardon in 2025. Minneapolis police arrested Lang on August 22, 2026, on probable cause of riot after police said two vehicles carrying Lang and members of his group drove onto a sidewalk toward a crowd outside Minneapolis City Hall.

Jake Lang Minneapolis Arrest

Lang Arrested On Probable Cause Riot After Minneapolis Demonstration. Minneapolis police said Lang and the other occupants of two vehicles associated with his group were taken into custody after a confrontation outside City Hall. Police described the basis for the arrests as probable cause of riot; formal criminal charges had not yet been announced in the initial reporting. [FOX 9]

Police Say Vehicles Carrying Lang’s Group Drove Onto Sidewalk Toward Crowd. Shortly before noon, Lang and members of his group arrived outside Minneapolis City Hall in two vehicles. Police said both vehicles unexpectedly drove onto the sidewalk toward a crowd of counterprotesters, prompting officers to move in and get them back off the sidewalk. [CBS Minnesota]

Chemical Irritants Used During Confrontation Between Lang Group And Counterprotesters. Minneapolis police said a confrontation developed quickly and people on both sides deployed chemical irritants. Police said there was no evidence that Minneapolis officers used chemical irritants during the clash. [FOX 9]

Police Allowed Lang’s Vehicles To Leave Before Making Arrests. Interim Minneapolis Police Chief Bill Peterson said officers determined that attempting arrests while Lang’s vehicles were surrounded by the large crowd would have been unsafe. Police instead allowed the vehicles to leave, describing the move as a way to de-escalate the confrontation, and then tracked them after they departed. [CBS Minnesota]

One Vehicle Stopped Near I-35W; Second Located In Bloomington. Police tracked one of the vehicles to Washington Avenue near Interstate 35W with assistance from the Minnesota State Patrol. Bloomington police stopped the second vehicle near Lindau Lane and IKEA Way. Everyone in the vehicles, including Lang, was arrested. [FOX 9]

Lang Booked Into Hennepin County Jail And Initially Held Without Bail. Hennepin County records showed Lang was booked into jail on August 22 and initially listed as being held without bail while the probable-cause riot case remained pending. [Bring Me The News]

Four Additional People Arrested Near Minneapolis City Hall. Police made four more arrests around City Hall separate from the arrests of Lang’s group. Authorities said those arrests involved suspected offenses ranging from disorderly conduct to assault. [Minnesota Star Tribune]

Three Police Officers Injured During Minneapolis Confrontation. Interim Chief Peterson said three Minneapolis police officers suffered injuries during the disorder. One officer was taken to a hospital and subsequently released, and police said none of the officers suffered serious injuries. [CBS Minnesota]

Jake Lang Minneapolis Rally

Lang Organized Rally Supporting Woman Convicted After Using Racial Slur Against Child. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that Lang traveled to Minneapolis to advocate for Shiloh Hendrix, a Rochester woman who had been found guilty of disorderly conduct following an incident in which she directed a racial slur at a Black autistic child. Hundreds of counterprotesters gathered outside City Hall in response to Lang’s event. [Minnesota Star Tribune]

Lang Promoted Rally Using Racial Slur And Said He Would Appear In Blackface. Before the event, Lang advertised what he called a “Freedom of Speech” rally using a flyer containing an anti-Black racial slur and publicly claimed that he planned to attend in blackface. Bring Me The News reported that video from the actual demonstration did not appear to show Lang wearing blackface. [Bring Me The News]

Mayor Jacob Frey Said People Who Incite Violence Would Be Arrested. After Lang’s arrest, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said people who come to the city, drive on sidewalks, create threats to public safety or incite violence should expect to be arrested. Frey said that standard applied both to Lang’s group and to counterprotesters accused of violence. [CBS Minnesota]

Jake Lang Previous Arrests

Lang Previously Arrested For Destroying Anti-ICE Sculpture At Minnesota Capitol. Minnesota authorities arrested Lang earlier in 2026 after he posted video of himself kicking apart a permitted ice sculpture on the Minnesota State Capitol steps that originally read “Prosecute ICE.” Prosecutors charged him with felony first-degree criminal damage to property. [CBS Minnesota]

Lang Arrested In Texas On Terroristic Threat Charge. In June 2026, Texas authorities arrested Lang on a third-degree felony terroristic-threat charge after prosecutors alleged he threatened to kill Karmelo Anthony during Anthony’s murder trial. Lang disputed the accusation and characterized his statements as protected political speech. [CBS News]

Lang Was Also Arrested For Criminal Trespassing In Frisco. Days before the Texas terroristic-threat arrest, Frisco police took Lang into custody on an active criminal-trespass warrant connected to the George A. Purefoy Municipal Center. [FOX 4]