Whipple protesters accused of shoving Turning Point commentator are under criminal investigation

Paul Walsh, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Apr 18, 2026

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MINNEAPOLIS — Federal and state officials are investigating a father-daughter duo and others in connection with a raucous anti-ICE demonstration outside the Whipple Federal Building, where a conservative political commentator was twice shoved to the ground.

The clash on April 11 led to at least four people being arrested and Turning Point USA reporter Savanah Hernandez posting video on X of the scene. She said she was “mobbed and assaulted” by people protesting ICE’s long-running immigration enforcement campaign in Minnesota.

Video of the encounter quickly circulated on news outlets across the country, and conservative ones in particular have continued to question why no charges have been filed against the four who were arrested.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said in a statement on April 17 that those cases are “under review,” with no indication when charging decisions will be made.

Three days earlier, Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant U.S. attorney general for civil rights, said in an interview on the conservative news outlet Newsmax that ”my office is actively involved in investigating what happened and seeing whether there are federal charges that can be brought. [The] FBI and potentially Homeland Security investigators also do their legwork and investigation. We analyze the legal claims. And so we’re going to gather all the evidence."

In a statement on April 17 to the Minnesota Star Tribune, the FBI said it “is aware of the incident that occurred at the Whipple Building last weekend. Out of respect for the ongoing investigation, we will refrain from commenting or providing additional information at this time.”

Christopher Ostroushko, 51, of Prior Lake, and his 20-year-old daughter Paige Ostroushko were two of the primary verbal and physical combatants who sent Hernandez off her feet, video from numerous sources revealed.

The father has been a social media magnet since Jan. 14, the night a Venezuelan immigrant was shot by an ICE officer in north Minneapolis.

Christopher Ostroushko gave a man-on-the-street perspective that night to the online news outlet Status Coup as protesters and federal agents faced off nearby.

That interview turned him into the “Minnesota angry man” and earned him thousands of new followers on social media. His daughter then dubbed him “a random suburban guy in construction.”

That virtual embrace gave way, however, to the confrontation a week ago outside the Whipple Building, where federal agents have based themselves in the many months before, during and after Operation Metro Surge.

Once videos of the clash with Hernandez fed online platforms across the political spectrum, the father and daughter have turned down interviews and let their attorneys do the talking.

James Cook, who has taken on several clients involved in recent immigration-related matters, declined on April 17 to speak specifically about the actions of the Ostroushkos during their faceoff with Hernandez, citing the prospect of charges being filed.

Cook said he’s advised the two to go dark on social media and stay away from protests.

“It’s unfortunate that it’s become this big, huge news story and turned out the way it did,” he said. “If they could turn back the clock, they would. ... The fact that it turned into a violent confrontation, I don’t think they or anybody wanted that.”

The father and daughter “have been doxed, fully,“ said Cook, leading to them ”receiving a lot of hate mail" and threats. At least one report surfaced in conservative news outlets that Christopher Ostroushko was convicted in the early 2000s of wrongly receiving thousands of dollars in unemployment benefits.

Outside the Whipple Building

The sheriff’s office said more than 100 people had gathered outside Whipple for the protest.

Video from musician Oskar Quentin showed people blowing whistles and horns close to Hernandez’s face as she walked away, brushing them aside with her hand. Paige Ostroushko blew a whistle full blast inches from Hernandez’s left ear, prompting a grimace from the Turning Point commentator.

In the video, Paige Ostroushko kept coming at Hernandez, throwing a punch before pushing her into a chain-link fence.

Once back on her feet, Hernandez yelled, “Stop touching me ... I’m trying to leave.”

Quentin tried to restore order, yelling, “It’s over, it’s over.”

But a second or two later, Christopher Ostroushko can be seen on the video shoving Hernandez to the ground from behind with both hands.

Paige Ostroushko, one other person and Hernandez tangled on the pavement until several protesters separated them. Hernandez, surrounded by taunting protesters, was led to deputies, who escorted her away.

The next day, Hernandez posted on X that she was “doing OK” after the incident. “My legs are scraped and my neck and back are sore, but I’m safe.”

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(Eleanor Hildebrandt and Rachel Hutton of the Minneapolis Star Tribune contributed to this story.)

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