MINNEAPOLIS — Eight people were arrested and two citations were issued after a pro-Palestinian demonstration shut down traffic on Interstate 94 Monday evening inside the Lowry Tunnel.
Officials say the backup started when several vehicles started to block eastbound traffic at around 4:30 p.m. When troopers arrived, several arrests were made, while eight vehicles and three trailers were towed away. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, five men were arrested for obstructing the legal process/impeding traffic, one man was arrested for fleeing the police, one woman was arrested for possession of a firearm without a permit and a juvenile was arrested for fleeing in a vehicle.
"We support the right to exercise one's First Amendment rights, but the freeway is not the place to do so," said the Minnesota State Patrol in a post on social media. "The closure of an interstate freeway for the purpose of demonstration is unacceptable. Freeways are used by everyone and are an artery for emergency vehicles. It is illegal to walk on the freeway and blocking traffic is dangerous for everyone involved or impacted."
The incident caused a massive backup on I-94, with vehicles at a standstill from Plymouth Avenue North to the tunnel until around 6:30 p.m.
*This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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