Tear gas was fired near a CNN correspondent live on-air while he was reporting on anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis – causing him to cough and remark, “Wow, this is nasty.”
During “Laura Coates Live,” Shimon Prokupecz, a senior crime and justice correspondent at the network, was on the ground outside the Whipple Center, a federal building with an ICE facility where apparent federal agents and protesters were seen facing off.
“For the past two hours, we’ve been watching as protesters have been kicking cars, throwing things at cars … and we have watched and federal law enforcement has done nothing,” Prokupecz said.
As he uttered “done nothing,” there was the sound of a crack as tear gas appeared to land just a few feet from the CNN journalist and a cameraperson, and gas started to billow into the air.
“And here we go,” Prokupecz said, inching away from the chaos. “Hold on – let me just come back here. As you can see, basically now they’re just deploying tear gas because what’s been happening –”
Screaming could be heard in the background as protesters dispersed from the crowd. Prokupecz started coughing and gestured for the cameraperson to follow him as he jogged away from the tear gas.
On Friday, Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin noted, “The First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly – not rioting” and that “DHS is taking reasonable and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers.”
“We remind members of the media to exercise caution as they cover these violent riots and remind journalists that covering unlawful activities in the field does come with risks — though our officers take every reasonable precaution to mitigate those dangers to those exercising protected First Amendment rights,” McLaughlin said in a statement to The Post.
Thursday’s CNN broadcast stuck with Prokupecz during the tumult.
“We’re following you, Shimon,” Coates cut in from the studio. “I can hear you. I know you’re trying to catch your breath from the deployment of that. Very disruptive.”
Prokupecz repeatedly erupted with fits of coughing as he described federal agents throwing percussion grenades into the crowd.
“The crowd wasn’t a very large crowd,” Prokupecz said, pausing to cough, “but Laura, what’s been happening,” and he paused to cough again.
“Wow, this is nasty,” Prokupecz said of the tear gas.
Coates jumped in again from the studio to give Prokupecz a break and recount the deployment of the tear gas.
“Catch your breath for a second. We’re watching. We’re following along with you,” Coates said.
“I want to give you a second, because what they have deployed is obviously disrupting your ability to breathe and talk. It’s intense.”
Demonstrations across Minnesota have ramped up after ICE officer Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, in Minneapolis last week.
Then, in the second such shooting in about a week, an immigration agent shot a Venezuelan migrant, who was in the country illegally, in the leg after he allegedly fled during a traffic stop and beat the officer, the Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday evening.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration launched a massive immigration enforcement operation in the state – deploying as many as 2,000 federal agents to the Minneapolis area.
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