Journalist shoved to the ground by police in Minnesota, breaking his camera

Independent journalist Aaron Johnson was pushed down by police while filming a law enforcement action in St. Paul, Minnesota, on July 14, 2026, causing minor injuries and smashing his camera.

Johnson told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that he was headed to interview residents about an upcoming encampment eviction when he saw a large police presence. Officers, including a K-9 unit and some carrying rifles, were searching for a man who had fled on foot after a traffic stop.

Johnson, who publishes his reporting on social platforms and shares video with nonprofit newsroom Unicorn Riot, began documenting the police search.

As officers moved from yard to yard with weapons drawn, Johnson and others followed at a distance along a public alley, filming as police searched the neighborhood.

Officers warned them to stay back. Johnson told the Tracker he complied, remaining roughly 50 feet away while continuing to film.

But as three officers returned from searching one home, Johnson said their attention shifted from another person recording with a cellphone to him. One in particular spoke to him.

“I said, ‘I’m press, I’m press,’” Johnson recalled. “And he said, ‘No, you’re not.’”

Johnson said he had arrived unexpectedly at the unfolding scene and was not wearing his press credential at the time. Without warning, the officer shoved him, knocking him to the ground and sending his camera tumbling. The impact shattered its screen and lens.

Johnson, who is disabled from a previous stroke, said the fall left him with whiplash, muscle spasms, cuts and scrapes. Paramedics treated him at the scene before advising him to seek additional medical care.

A video Johnson later posted on Instagram captures the aftermath. In it, Johnson says he identified himself as press before officers “got very aggressive at me, got in my face and threw me to the ground, smashing my camera.” He later holds up the damaged camera, saying, “They are the most scared of this.”

Two days later, Johnson received a citation for obstructing or interfering with a peace officer. He is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 27.

“The fact that I’m asking the real questions and I’m getting assaulted like this, I think that speaks volumes about the state of press freedom,” Johnson told the Tracker.

The St. Paul Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.