Protester Screams Profanely Cutting Insult Live on CNN During ICE Report

CNN senior crime and justice correspondent Shimon Prokupecz was interrupted repeatedly by a screaming protester whose profanely cutting insult to ICE agents rang out as clear as a bell live on the air.

Minneapolis has become an epicenter for anti-ICE protests and clashes since the shocking killing of Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross last week.

Prokupecz was reporting live from the scene on Wednesday night’s edition of CNN’s Laura Coates Live when he faced a tear-gas barrage from ICE agents.

He also faced another hazard — trying to push through the shouting of a woman, who at one point screamed, “F*cking p*ssies in riot gear!”:

PROKUPECZ: Now — I mean, we’re watching right here. Leonel (ph) — Leonel (ph), my photographer, is having a little bit of a hard time seeing. But we’re going to try to get here. We’re here. You can see federal law enforcement now approaching a group of protesters here. We don’t know exactly why.

(CONSTANT PROTESTER WHISLTE SOUNDS)

But these are — these are — these — I mean, SWAT here, they’re in, you know, might as well looks like, you know, military fatigue. But they came from another side. We did not expect this at all. This line, these dark-colored uniforms that you’re seeing here, that’s Customs and Border patrol. We saw them earlier in the 8:00 hour. They moved out. They pushed the people back and that was it. They went back inside.

Then after that, there were some more intense moments. But certainly, this is the most aggressive we have seen them today. I mean, they came from every side, they threw those percussion grenades, and then they just started firing tear gas, and that’s when we all started trying to disperse and clear out.

But what has been happening here, Laura, through the night, and I have to say, having covered so many of these now, actually, the law enforcement here was very patient with the protesters. I watched as car after car with law enforcement officials go in, come out, dozens of cars, and they would — the protesters would kick the cars, they would throw things at cars, and the law enforcement did nothing, they did nothing.

PROTESTER: F*cking p*ssies in riot gear! We’re unarmed civilans!

PROKUPECZ: And then, all of a sudden, finally, I guess around, you know, as you were getting ready to go on air–

PROTESTER: F*cking fascists!

PROKUPECZ: –they had enough. I mean, the crowd had basically decreased. And then, all of a sudden, they just came, and they swarmed. And this is —

PROTESTER: The f*ck is wrong with you peple? Are you proud of yourselves?

COATES: Do you know what triggered it, Shimon? I mean, what do you — did you see —

PROKUPECZ: Yes.

COATES: — any trigger as to why they came from all sides?

(PROTESTER SCREAMS INDISTINCTLY)

PROKUPECZ: Well, what was happening was the protesters were sitting in the driveway, and they warned them several times, get out of the driveway, get out of the driveway, get out of the driveway.

PROTESTER: You guys are f*cking sadists!

PROKUPECZ: And they did it. And then they continuously were kicking cars. Continuously. I mean, every time a car walked in, came in, every time a car came out, it was federal law enforcement, and they were kicking the cars.

And so, as a result of all that, this is where we are now. You could see, these are the Customs and Border patrol officers. They’re the ones that have been pushing the crowd back. They were not the ones using tear gas. It’s this other group of officers —

(COUGHING)

— who come out. You know, they have all the gear. They have pepper spray. They have — they could fire pepper balls, and then, obviously, the tear gas. You could still smell and feel the tear gas here in the air. But, I mean, it was quite something.

Watch above via CNN’s Laura Coates Live.