Four arrested after anti-ICE riot in Seattle

Four people were arrested Saturday night outside the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building in Downtown Seattle as the city was plunged into chaos over the weekend after activists, widely described by city leaders and media outlets as “peaceful,” devolved into violent mobs.

The unrest was part of the national “No Kings” day of protest, which brought an estimated 50,000 people to the streets of Seattle. What began as a daytime march from Cal Anderson Park—site of the infamous 2020 Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone—quickly escalated into widespread lawlessness, with masked agitators attacking journalists, blocking traffic, setting fires, and clashing with law enforcement.

Seattle Police confirmed the arrests of four individuals Saturday night outside the Federal Building, where much of the evening’s violence was centered. A 23-year-old was arrested for obstructing a public officer, while a 19-year-old and a 25-year-old were arrested for felony assault in the third degree. Another 25-year-old was arrested for felony intimidation of a public official. None of those arrested were Seattle residents. According to police, additional arrests may follow as investigations continue, including into the targeted assault of a journalist.

The unrest, however, was not confined to downtown Seattle.

Earlier in the day, protesters descended on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) facility in Tukwila, where Antifa militants attempted to barricade ICE agents inside the building. At the time, agents were conducting lawful immigration appointments and overseeing naturalization proceedings, including the swearing-in of new US citizens. Protesters blocked entrances and law enforcement vehicles, prompting DHS and Tukwila Police to deploy flashbangs and non-lethal munitions to disperse the crowd after multiple warnings were ignored.

Independent journalist Cam Higby, who was on the ground documenting the events, reported hearing demonstrators chant “Kill all ICE” and “Become a garbage man, you won’t get killed in the revolution.” The threats soon escalated into physical violence.

Higby was brutally assaulted outside the federal building later that evening. “Three males approached me and yelled, ‘Hey Cam, it’s time to leave,’” he recalled in an interview on The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI. “They pinned me to the wall, then held me down face-first on the ground, choked me out, punched me in the head, and kicked me in the face.”

He believes a chemical agent was sprayed into his gas mask during the attack. Despite suffering a mild concussion, Higby managed to deploy pepper spray in self-defense, causing one assailant to flee.

“They were lighting fires under moving vehicles—occupied vehicles. They were throwing fireworks at cars, smashing windshields, breaking into businesses,” Higby said. “In what world is this acceptable?”

The Seattle rioters also vandalized a Jeep they mistakenly believed belonged to Higby, leaving another innocent citizen to discover his destroyed vehicle hours later.

Higby wasn’t the only journalist targeted. Brandi Kruse, host of the UnDivided podcast, was attacked in Tukwila and pepper-sprayed at point-blank range. “I feel bad for Brandi. She’s an unarmed woman, a reporter, and they assaulted her,” Higby said. “I feel bad for the guy whose Jeep was destroyed—they thought it was mine.”

According to Higby, fellow journalist Katie Daviscourt identified one of the attackers. Seattle Police confirmed to Hoffman that their Assault and Homicide Unit is investigating Higby’s case and that a detective has been assigned. As of now, no arrests have been made in connection to either Higby’s or Kruse’s assaults.

“They said I shouldn’t come to another protest—and then followed through with violence. I won’t be intimidated,” Higby said.