Seattle Police arrest Antifa militants at ‘Abolish ICE’ direct action

Janelle Gipaya Howard, 32, of Bellingham, was arrested and booked into King County Jail on assault charges. According to Seattle Police Detective Brian Pritchard, Howard allegedly assaulted another protester in front of officers. The defendant, who has a history of violence stemming from their involvement with Antifa, was released from custody the following day on $1,000 bail, jail records show. Seattle Police confirmed Howard as the suspect to The Post Millennial. The militant's identity was concealed behind a facial covering at the time of the attack.

Video footage shows Seattle police officers performed a targeted arrest to take Howard into custody.

Janelle Howard was arrested on criminal charges during an Antifa direct action to attack the police union building in September 2020. Molotov cocktails were brought to the demonstration by members of the group.

The victim, identified as Bennett Haselton, wrote about the incident on X, saying he was "shoved to the ground" by Howard after 37-year-old Antifa militant, Christina Devitt, ordered him to be attacked. Haselton has been assaulted several times by Antifa members at demonstrations throughout the years in the Pacific Northwest due to his opposition to the left-wing extremist group hijacking protests to carry out criminal acts of violence. Additionally, Devitt, who has past ties to the MS-13 gang, has a history of arrests related to her activism with Antifa. She is currently the suspect in an assault that occurred in January, targeting individuals of the Jewish faith and an independent videographer.

The other individual arrested has been identified only as a juvenile female. Seattle Police said that the suspect, who was dressed in Antifa's black bloc militant uniform, "stood in front of a patrol vehicle that had lights activated to prevent it from moving." The individual was taken into custody and released to a parent, according to police.

Authorities rushed in to make the targeted arrests roughly two hours into the "Abolish ICE" demonstration, which kicked off with music and speeches at the park before the group began its march to the pier, according to the Seattle Times. The protest was flooded with Mexican flags and pro-immigrant anti-ICE signage, photos show.

It appears that only city police were present at the demonstration. The crowd temporarily blocked traffic on Alki Avenue to face off with police following the two arrests. In a livestream recorded by Devitt, the militant could be heard hurling verbal abuse at police during the short standoff. After officers left the scene, the crowd continued its march and later dispersed, per the paper.

This was the second demonstration in a week in the same location. On February 2, the demonstration became chaotic after a car caught fire. Video footage shows the group chanting "f*ck the police" and "f*ck ICE" while waving Mexican flags in the air. The protest appeared to have a family-friendly atmosphere before agitators infiltrated the group, including Antifa.

Seattle is one of several jurisdictions targeted by the Department of Justice for being a so-called "sanctuary" for illegal migrants. Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered DOJ prosecutors in a memo last week to investigate sanctuary jurisdictions that may be impeding federal immigration operations. King County (Seattle) sued the Trump administration on Friday, along with other sanctuary jurisdictions, alleging states' rights violations and illicit commandeering of local law enforcement.

Since Trump reentered the White House on January 20, ICE ERO Seattle has made a series of arrests, capturing the "worst of the worst" illegal immigrants with criminal records across the Pacific Northwest as part of Trump's mass deportation operations. Some of the individuals arrested have been convicted of child rape, lewd acts with a minor, sexual assault, sexual battery, assault with sexual motivation, assault with a deadly weapon, theft, DUI, reckless driving, illicit drug manufacturing, and the list goes on.

ICE said members of the public can report immigration crimes or suspicious activity by dialing 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form.