Pardoned Jan. 6 rioter Jake Lang arrested in Minnesota after ice sculpture stunt

Pardoned Jan. 6 rioter Jake Lang is back in Minnesota, and this time he got arrested.

In a video Lang posted to X Thursday, Feb. 5, he is seen kicking over the letters of an ice sculpture reading “Prosecute ICE,” to make it read “Pro ICE.” In the accompanying text, Lang wrote he was arrested. The incident took place around 2:30 p.m. that day.

Minnesota State Patrol spokesperson Mike Lee confirmed with the St. Cloud Times Lang was arrested near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and University Avenue in St. Paul, as Lang tried to leave the area in a vehicle.

“Mr. Lang was arrested without incident and brought to the Ramsey County Jail to be booked for suspicion of criminal damage to property,” Lee wrote in an email.

The ice sculpture was a permitted display, according to Lee.

Lang, whose full name is Edward Jacob Lang, was booked at the Ramsey County Jail, according to the online roster. As of 5 p.m. Feb. 5, no charges have been filed. The investigation remains open and active, according to Lee.

The Minnesota State Patrol states Lang is a resident of Lake Worth, Florida, which is consistent with paperwork Lang filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for a U.S. Senate seat in Florida.

Why is Lang in Minnesota?

Lang came to Minnesota to host another rally at noon this Saturday, Feb. 7, outside the Minnesota statehouse in St. Paul, according to the video. As of 5 p.m. Feb. 5, CBS News reports a permit has not been issued for the rally.

“President Trump we support you, we support ICE,” Lang said in the video. “Our country was made for Americans, not for Somalis.”

Lang, who has about 75,000 followers on Facebook, was in Minneapolis on Jan. 17, when he held his “March Against Minnesota Fraud.” Fewer than 20 supporters attended his march. Meanwhile, a counter-protest on the other side of the street rallied about 150 people.

The January protest came after former First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said that since 2018 at least half of the $18 billion paid through Minnesota’s Medicaid waiver programs could be fraudulent.

A small group of counter-protesters were on the same side of the street as Lang and threw water balloons and silly string at him. Lang left his Jan. 17 rally about 30 minutes after it was scheduled to begin. Counter-protesters followed him through downtown Minneapolis.

Corey Schmidt covers politics and public safety for the St. Cloud Times. He can be reached at cschmidt@gannett.com.