4 indicted after Minneapolis clashes, including a woman accused of biting off an officer’s fingertip

MINNEAPOLIS — Four individuals have been federally indicted in connection with confrontations involving federal officers in Minneapolis, including a woman accused of biting off part of an immigration officer’s finger during a protest.

According to court filings, the incidents stem from unrest that followed a Jan. 14 shooting involving an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. FBI agents investigating that shooting were forced to retreat on foot when protests escalated and the area became unsafe. Two vehicles left behind were later vandalized and broken into. Stolen items reportedly included firearms, FBI credentials, and documents containing personal information such as home addresses and phone numbers of federal employees.

Authorities say that after the stolen information was posted on social media, several agents began receiving threatening calls, text messages, and emails.

Woman accused in assault on federal officer

Claire Louise Feng, 27, of St. Paul, has been charged with assaulting a federal officer resulting in injury. Prosecutors allege that during a Jan. 24 protest — held after immigration officers fatally shot Alex Pretti — Feng tackled an officer who was attempting to detain another protester.

In an affidavit, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Bronson Day stated that a Customs and Border Protection officer then restrained Feng on the ground. During the struggle, she allegedly bit through the officer’s glove and severed the tip of his ring finger. Because of the cold weather, the officer did not initially grasp the severity of the injury, but later discovered that the fingertip had been removed, exposing bone. He received medical care within an hour.

Feng’s attorney, Kevin C. Riach, said she plans to contest the charge. He questioned the credibility of ICE agents and referenced a recent case dismissal involving alleged false claims by federal officers, adding that the defense looks forward to clearing Feng’s name.

Charges tied to threats against FBI agents

Three other individuals were indicted in connection with threats made to FBI personnel after their personal information was circulated online.

Brenna Marie Doyle, 18, of Spokane, Washington, faces charges including threatening to murder a federal officer, threatening a family member of a federal officer, and interstate transmission of threats. Prosecutors allege she left voicemail messages threatening to kill an agent as well as the agent’s spouse and child. Doyle has not yet entered a plea. Her attorney, Robert D. Richman, said they are awaiting discovery materials and noted that Doyle has never traveled to Minnesota. He emphasized that there are no allegations she attempted to act on the threats or traveled anywhere near the agent.

James Patrick Lyons, 45, of California, was indicted on five counts of interstate transmission of threats to injure a person, while Jose Alberto Ramirez, 29, of Illinois, faces one count of the same charge. Both men are accused of sending threatening text messages to FBI employees. Neither has entered a plea, and their attorneys have not yet commented publicly.

The cases remain ongoing as federal authorities pursue charges related to both the physical altercation and the subsequent threats against law enforcement personnel.

Source: AP News