St. Paul Woman Threw Softball At Deputy, Punched FBI Agent During Lake Street Raid: Feds

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — A St. Paul woman has been indicted after throwing a softball at a deputy, attacking multiple federal agents, and punching an FBI agent in the head during her arrest, all following a chaotic law enforcement operation at a Lake Street restaurant, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Isabel Lopez, 27, faces three counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, with two counts tied to the June 3 search operation and one related to a separate incident during her arrest. She also faces one count of obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder.

The initial charges stem from a June 3 incident, when federal agents executed search warrants at eight Twin Cities locations as part of a long-term investigation into narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking. The probe began after the seizure of 900 pounds of methamphetamine, valued between $22 million and $25 million, according to court documents.

One of the targeted locations was Cuatro Milpas, a restaurant on Lake Street in Minneapolis at Bloomington Avenue.

Below are images shared by federal authorities related to this case:

As noted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, a crowd gathered shortly after agents arrived. "The crowd appeared to be under the mistaken belief that law enforcement was present to arrest individuals illegally present in the country for immigration offenses," officials said. "This was incorrect."

Agents were there to collect evidence under a federal warrant, and "no one was arrested that day," the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Law enforcement said they explained the situation to members of the crowd.

While some individuals protested legally, prosecutors say Lopez escalated the situation by assaulting several officers, punching, kicking, and shoving agents as crowd members tried to hold her back. As agents attempted to leave, Lopez allegedly threw a softball at the back of a Hennepin County deputy.

She was charged by a federal complaint on June 9. During her arrest, she allegedly punched an FBI agent in the head, resulting in an additional assault charge.

Lopez appeared in U.S. District Court on Tuesday before Magistrate Judge John F. Docherty. She will remain in custody pending a detention hearing, authorities said.

The investigation involves a lengthy roster of agencies, among them the FBI, DEA, IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, ATF, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.

"As laid out in the complaint, federal agents were executing federal search warrants signed by a federal judge," said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.

"The search warrants were part of a long-term drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking investigation involving a transnational criminal organization. The defendant physically attacked law enforcement agents in the course of their duties, even as the crowd tried to hold her back. When the defendant was arrested, she doubled-down, punching an FBI agent in the head. Let me make clear: it is against the law to assault or obstruct federal law enforcement agents. We do not punch cops."

"Assaulting a law enforcement officer engaged in their lawful duties, or damaging government property during a protest, is not protected under the First Amendment — it is a criminal offense," said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis.

"The FBI, along with our law enforcement partners, will use every available resource to investigate these acts, identify those responsible, and ensure they are held accountable under the law."