Minnesota county probes federal arrest as possible kidnapping

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/minnesota-county-probes-federal-arrest-possible-kidnapping-2026-04-13/

Minnesota county probes federal arrest as possible kidnapping
By Daphne Psaledakis
April 13, 2026 3:26 PM CDT

WASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - A Minnesota county is investigating an arrest by federal agents who allegedly broke into a St. Paul home with guns drawn, handcuffed ​a man and forced him outside in the snow in his underpants ‌and sandals, only to discover they had the wrong man.

Ramsey County officials said in a statement on Monday that federal agents "may have committed the crimes of kidnapping, burglary, and false imprisonment" ​in the January incident.

The man mistakenly detained, ChongLy “Scott” Thao, has said the ​officers had no warrant.

County Attorney John Choi and Sheriff Bob Fletcher said in ​the statement that Thao was handcuffed, removed from his home without consent and ​driven around and questioned while in custody for about an hour before being returned home.

The two "criminal ‌illegal ⁠aliens" who DHS said it was seeking in that raid turned out to be elsewhere, one of them behind bars in a Minneapolis-area prison serving a four-year sentence.

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