The incident occurred hours after a judge issued a temporary order barring the Minnesota State Patrol from using physical force or chemical agents against journalists, according to court documents. It also barred police from seizing photographic, audio or video recording equipment, or press passes.
Minnesota State Patrol on Saturday said in a statement, “troopers checked and photographed journalists and their credentials and driver’s licenses at the scene in order to expedite the identification process.”
While some journalists were “detained and released during enforcement actions after providing credentials, no journalists have been arrested,” MSP said.
Journalists covering a protest in a Minneapolis suburb Friday night were forced on their stomachs by law enforcement, rounded up and were only released after having their face and press credentials photographed.
Approximately 500 protesters were marching peacefully until around 9 p.m. when an incident triggered police to start using chemical irritants such as tear gas, pepper balls and projectiles, Jasper Colt, a photojournalist with the USA TODAY Network, reported.
Colt described police then corralling protesters and media into one group and yelling for them to get “flat on our stomachs.”
