CNN Reporter Left Gasping on Live TV After Tear Gas Fired at Minneapolis Protest
CNN’s Sara Sidner struggles to report live as tear gas fills Minneapolis streets during protests over a federal shooting.
Jan. 24 2026, Published 5:30 p.m. ET
CNN correspondent Sara Sidner was left choking on tear gas during a live broadcast on January 24 as protests erupted in Minneapolis, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Sidner could be heard violently coughing and gasping for air as she reported from the scene. Federal agents had fired tear gas canisters to disperse crowds of angry protesters.
'Extreme'
CNN reporter Sara Sidner struggled to breathe as tear gas engulfed the streets of Minneapolis.
The chemical irritant quickly spread through the street. The camera struggled to cut through the thick clouds of gas.
Sidner described the military-grade tear gas as "extreme" and warned her colleagues they needed to move inside, according to a news outlet.
CNN soon cut away from the live shot as her coughing worsened.
Sidner returned on air after initial exposure to tear gas while reporting live.
Second Round of Tear Gas
However, she was hit with a second round of tear gas and the broadcast cut back to the newsroom.
Sidner later returned on air and appeared to have recovered. She was positioned between protesters and law enforcement.
However, when producers tried to return to her again, she appeared to be hit by another wave of tear gas and was once again seen struggling to breathe before the broadcast cut back to the newsroom.
Another Deadly Shooting
The same say as the protests, federal agents shot and killed a Minneapolis resident.
The day of the protests against ICE, federal agents also shot and killed 37-year-old Minneapolis resident and ICU nurse Alex Pretti during an immigration enforcement operation.
The Department of Homeland Security said the man had a handgun and "violently resisted" when agents tried to disarm him. An officer fired shots in self-defense, and the man was pronounced dead.
It happened over a mile away from where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer on January 7.
Her killing sparked daily protests against federal immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities and across the country, with crowds demanding accountability and the removal of the surge of agents now in the city.
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'Nonsense and Lies'
The victim was 37-year-old Alex Pretti.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has blasted the federal response, saying he's seen video of the latest shooting and calling the Department of Homeland Security's recounting "nonsense" and "lies."
"What I see with my eyes and what you're going to see with your eyes makes that pretty hard to believe," he told reporters after watching multiple angles of the footage.
Walz also urged President Donald Trump to halt what DHS has described as its largest‑ever immigration enforcement operation in the state.
He took to social media to demand, "Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now," as protesters continued to clash with federal agents and tear gas hung thick in the streets.
DHS also circulated a photo of a handgun it said was recovered from the scene of the January 24 shooting, though details remain contested.
