A conservative journalist was reportedly assaulted by protesters during a heated anti-ICE demonstration in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Saturday. The incident, which was captured on video, has prompted an FBI investigation and sparked conflicting accounts from those involved.
Violent Confrontation at F*** ICE Day Protest
Savanah Hernandez, a reporter for the conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA, was covering the F*** ICE Day protest when she was identified as being affiliated with the organization. According to Hernandez, she was immediately swarmed by a large group of protesters who began following her menacingly.
Whistle Blown in Ear Before Physical Shove
The confrontation escalated when protester Paige Ostroushko blew a whistle directly into Hernandez's ear. Shortly afterward, Paige's father, Chris Ostroushko, shoved the petite reporter to the ground. Hernandez reported that her glasses were broken and she suffered a concussion and multiple sprains from the fall.
Video footage shows Hernandez putting her hand up near her face as Paige blows the whistle. At one point, Hernandez appears to push Paige away, which prompted Paige to shout, "You hit me!" This led to DeYanna Ostroushko, Paige's mother, shoving Hernandez while yelling, "You f***ing hit my daughter?" Hernandez responded by pushing back and saying, "Get the f*** off of me!" before attempting to walk away.
Conflicting Accounts from Protesters
Chris and DeYanna Ostroushko appeared on a small podcast episode published on Wednesday, where they disputed Hernandez's version of events. Chris claimed, "We are absolutely not violent people. In fact, we tend to shy away from it. That day, you’ll see I was not even up in the front at all during this whole event. I just stayed back and kind of watched what was going on."
DeYanna alleged that Hernandez "backhanded" Paige before Chris intervened. Trisha Pohland, an attorney for the Ostroushko family, supported this claim, stating, "Based off what I’ve seen, she went and hit Paige in the face when Paige was blowing a whistle… which she has every right to do and Savanah was the one that hit her."
Reporter's Rebuttal and Security Concerns
Hernandez strongly refuted these allegations in an interview with Fox News Digital, saying, "If I hit them first, it would be on camera." She explained that the family "refused to leave me alone" and that "Every single time they attacked me was while I was trying to leave."
Following the incident, Hernandez revealed that Turning Point USA will implement new security protocols for her future assignments. She stated, "I've never asked for security when conducting point-and-shoot journalism, because I've always had some semblance of hope that I still live in a safe country. However, after Saturday TPUSA ensured that I will have new security protocols moving forward due to the violent nature of the left-wing."
FBI Investigation Launched
Vice President JD Vance and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon confirmed that the FBI has opened an investigation into the assault. Vance said, "I talked to Kash Patel... and I said, 'I assume we're doing something here,' and he said, 'Yes, we've had multiple agents on the ground. We've already talked to Savanah.' We're gonna use the video to try to go after the people who assaulted her, and then try to defund the networks that fund those radicals who are going around assaulting activists."
Hernandez expressed gratitude on social media for the support from Turning Point USA leadership, including Erika Kirk. The Daily Mail has reached out to both Turning Point USA and the Ostroushko family's lawyers for further comment.
