Federal officer shoots man in leg during Minneapolis arrest, officials say

A U.S. federal officer shot a man in the leg in Minneapolis after being attacked with a shovel and broom handle while trying to make an arrest Wednesday, federal officials said.

Smoke filled the street Wednesday night near the site of the latest shooting as federal officers wearing gas masks and helmets fired tear gas and grenades into a small crowd while protesters threw rocks and shot fireworks.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said during a news conference that the gathering was an unlawful assembly and "people need to leave."

Such protest scenes have become common on the streets of Minneapolis since a federal agent fatally shot Renee Good on Jan. 7 amid a massive immigration crackdown that has seen thousands of officers sent into the Twin Cities. Agents have yanked people from cars and homes and been confronted by angry bystanders who are demanding that officers pack up and leave.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey described the situation as not "sustainable."

"This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in and at the same time we are trying to find a way forward to keep people safe, to protect our neighbours, to maintain order," he said.

Frey described a federal force that is five times as big as the city's 600-officer police force and has "invaded" the city, scaring and angering residents, some of whom want the officers to "fight ICE agents." At the same time, the police force is still responsible for their day-to-day work to keep the public safe.

The Department of Homeland Security says it has made more than 2,000 arrests in the state since early December and is vowing to not back down.

In a a statement describing the events that led to Wednesday's shooting, Homeland Security said federal law enforcement officers stopped a person from Venezuela who was in the U.S. illegally. The person drove away and crashed into a parked car before taking off on foot, DHS said.

After officers reached the person, two other people arrived from a nearby apartment and all three started attacking the officer, according to DHS.

"Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life," DHS said.

The two people who came out of the apartment are in custody, it said.

O'Hara said the man shot was in the hospital with a non-life-threatening injury.

The shooting took place about 7.2 kilometres north of where Good was killed.