Incident details
- Date of incident
- July 15, 2026
- Targets
- Aaron Johnson (Independent)
- Arrest status
- Charged without arrest
- Arresting authority
- St. Paul Police Department
- Charges
-
-
Obstruction: obstructing, resisting or interfering with a peace officer
- July 15, 2026: Charges pending
- Oct. 8, 2026: Charges dropped
-
Obstruction: obstructing, resisting or interfering with a peace officer
- Unnecessary use of force?
- No
Arrest/Criminal Charge
Reporter Aaron Johnson, in a social media video, recounts filming a law enforcement operation on July 14, 2026, in St. Paul, Minnesota. The next day, he was cited for interfering with police.
Independent journalist Aaron Johnson was issued a misdemeanor citation for interfering with police on July 15, 2026, a day after an officer shoved him to the ground while he was filming a police search in St. Paul, Minnesota. A judge dismissed the case Oct. 8.
Johnson publishes his reporting on social media and shares video with nonprofit newsroom Unicorn Riot. On July 14, he was on his way to an interview when he encountered a large police presence. Officers were searching for a man who fled on foot after a traffic stop.
Johnson joined others documenting the search as officers moved from yard to yard with weapons drawn. Police warned the group to stay back. Johnson, who was not wearing his press credentials, continued filming from a distance in a public alley.
“You can film all you want, but you can’t follow us in the alley while we’re on an active threat,” one officer said, according to a video Johnson posted of the altercation.
Johnson replied, “We’ll keep our distance, but this is public.”
In the video, an officer warns Johnson and the others that they will be obstructing police if they do not stay back. Johnson repeatedly identifies himself as press.
“You’re not press,” one officer told him before ordering him to put his hands behind his back.
Moments later, the officer shoves him to the ground. The impact shattered his camera screen and lens. Johnson, who is disabled following a previous stroke, said the fall left him with whiplash, muscle spasms, cuts and scrapes.
Police filed the misdemeanor citation for obstruction or interference with a peace officer July 15, court records show. A judge dismissed the case during Johnson’s arraignment Oct. 8.
Johnson told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he believed the citation was an effort to deter him from documenting police activity.
“That did not intimidate me,” he added.
Neither the St. Paul Police Department nor the city attorney responded to a request for comment.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogs press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
