By AMY TAXIN
In a vivid display of escalating tensions, a protest in Santa Ana, California, turned violent when a demonstrator was severely injured by a projectile fired at close range by a federal officer. The incident, captured on video, highlights the mounting unrest following the deadly shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis.
The protest began as a large march but dwindled to a smaller group outside the federal immigration building, where tensions boiled over. Demonstrators, angry over Immigration and Customs Enforcement practices, chanted and burned what appeared to be an American flag, demanding “Justice for Renee Good.”
As the crowd moved onto the plaza, federal agents in riot gear attempted to keep them back. Video footage shows officers firing munitions after an orange cone rolled into the plaza area, though it remains unclear who threw the cone.
Among the demonstrators was 21-year-old Kaden Rummler, who was seen using a megaphone. When officers moved in to arrest another protester, Katelyn Skye Seitz, Rummler stepped forward and was struck in the face by a projectile. Footage shows Rummler falling to the ground, clutching his face, and being dragged away by an officer while bleeding profusely.
The Department of Homeland Security labeled the demonstrators as “violent rioters,” noting that two officers were injured. Two protesters, including Seitz, were arrested on charges of assaulting a federal officer and disorderly conduct.
Protester says he lost sight in his left eye
The type of projectile used remains unspecified by the DHS, but another protester claimed that pepper balls were fired during the confrontation. Rummler suffered a severe eye injury, leading to blindness in his left eye, according to his aunt, Jeri Rees.
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This Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026 selfie, provided by Kaden Rummler, shows an eye injury he sustained after being hit with a projectile fired by a federal agent during a protest outside an immigration building in Santa Ana, Calif. on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (Kaden Rummler via AP)
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This Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026 selfie, provided by Kaden Rummler, shows an eye injury he sustained after being hit with a projectile fired by a federal agent during a protest outside an immigration building in Santa Ana, Calif. on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (Kaden Rummler via AP)
Rummler, a college student, underwent surgery for his eye injury and was hospitalized for two days. Rees mentioned that doctors need to determine the composition of the fragments in his eye to decide on further treatment. Rummler reportedly has a citation for disorderly conduct.
In a statement read on his behalf, Rummler expressed his distress: “I will never see through my left eye again, not even light,” he said, adding, “I’m just glad I’m alive to tell my story.”
The group Dare to Struggle, which Rummler was part of, did not disclose the hospital where he was treated. Seitz, who uses the name Skye Jones, commented on the protest’s purpose, saying it was to “rightly protest the brutal execution of Renee Good, and the government agencies that uphold ICE’s ongoing brutality.”
A federal complaint against Seitz alleges non-compliance with orders to leave the property and assaulting officers. Meanwhile, the demonstration continued with officers firing more rounds as tensions persisted.
