This past weekend, a journalist from Turning Point USA found herself at the center of a tumultuous scene during an anti-ICE rally in Minnesota. Authorities and video footage reveal that the journalist was repeatedly tackled to the ground by aggressive protesters.
Savanah Hernandez, the reporter involved in the incident, arrived at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building near Minneapolis early Saturday with the straightforward task of capturing footage of the protest. Little did she know, the day would take a violent turn.
In a conversation with The Post on Monday, Hernandez expressed her disbelief at the events that unfolded. “I was there for almost an hour, untouched,” she recalled, “then one of the left-wing protesters recognized me, and a mob began to form around me.” Hernandez is affiliated with Turning Point USA, a conservative organization co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk.
According to Hernandez, a female protester aggressively confronted her, shoving her while hurling accusations such as “Nazi” and “fascist” due to her association with the conservative group. The situation escalated when another woman joined in, blowing a whistle mere inches from Hernandez’s face.
A female protester began “very aggressively questioning me and getting in my face and shoving me,” the journo said, adding that the woman called her a “Nazi” and “fascist” over her employment by the conservative nonprofit.
A second woman then began blowing a whistle just inches away from Hernandez’s face.
“I very much realized then that they were not going to leave me alone, so I started walking out of the protest and, of course, they all followed me. And this girl is right in my ear, blowing this whistle,” Hernandez said.
The protester then launched a vicious attack, according to Hernandez and chaotic video footage posted to X.
The whistle-touting aggressor, who followed Hernandez to the sidewalk, is seen punching the reporter in the face, knocking her clean off her feet and into a fence behind her.
As a frazzled Hernandez gets up and tries again to walk away, another female demonstrator attempts to tangle with her – yelling, “Don’t f–king hit my daughter!”
A male voice behind the camera can be heard yelling, “It’s over! It’s over!” as other attendees try to separate the women.
The clip then pans to show Hernandez – who was several feet away on the sidewalk, where she was yelling at the enraged mob, “Stop touching me!” – suddenly getting knocked off her feet again.
This time, her attacker was a hulking man, who can be seen violently shoving the journo with both hands to the ground while bellowing, “Don’t f–king touch my daughter!”
The woman who first punched Hernandez then enters the mix again, jumping on the reporter and tackling her to the ground while Hernandez is seen desperately trying to run away from the violent scene, the video shows.
A handful of other protesters and the cameraman are finally able to separate the aggressors from the reporter, according to the clip.
Hernandez was eventually driven away from the premises by a worried police officer, she said.
Three people were arrested in connection to her assault, including 20-year-olds Paige Ostroushko and Lorenzo Amadeo Garcia, as well as Christopher Ostroushko, whose age wasn’t immediately clear, according to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.
The case was submitted to the district attorney’s office Monday, the office said.
The FBI said Monday it was “aware of the incident that occurred at the Whipple Building” but wasn’t releasing additional details “out of respect for the ongoing investigation.”
Hernandez, who sustained neck pain, a sprained knee and numerous bruises from the incident – as well as “emotional” damage – looks forward to her attackers facing punishment, she said.
“I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that justice is served for this case – not only for myself, but for every single journalist who has endured this, because this has been the norm for far too long,” she told The Post.
