3 Family Members Charged Over Alleged Assault on Turning Point USA Journalist in Minnesota

Three members of the same family have been charged in federal court in connection with an alleged assault on a journalist during a protest in Minnesota against federal immigration enforcement, according to an indictment unsealed on April 29, which claims the reporter suffered bodily injury.

A federal grand jury charged Christopher Ostroushko and Deyanna Ostroushko, and their daughter Paige Ostroushko, with assaulting a journalist on federal property following an April 11 incident involving Savanah Hernandez, a contributor to Turning Point USA, who was covering a demonstration against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Prosecutors allege the three defendants confronted Hernandez while she was reporting outside a federal facility in St. Paul and engaged in a physical altercation.

“These three individuals were indicted by a grand jury for allegedly assaulting journalist and Turning Point USA contributor Savannah [sic] Hernandez, while she was lawfully reporting on anti-ICE protests outside a federal building in St. Paul,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “Hernandez was allegedly surrounded, physically assaulted, and shoved to the ground—simply because she was identified by the defendants as a conservative journalist. That is NOT ‘peaceful protest.’”

Christopher Ostroushko and Paige Ostroushko face additional counts of willfully and forcefully injuring and intimidating the journalist, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement.

Attorneys for the Ostroushkos said they plan to vigorously contest the charges, noting that an indictment is not a finding of guilt.

Protest Confrontation

The incident took place on April 12 outside a federal building in St. Paul during a demonstration against ICE operations, part of a broader wave of protests tied to immigration enforcement policies in the region.

Video recorded at the scene and later circulated publicly shows a chaotic exchange between Hernandez and several people, though the footage captures only portions of the encounter and is expected to be examined as part of the legal proceedings.

Hernandez posted footage of the incident on her X account. In the video, Hernandez is seen lifting her hand in front of Paige Ostroushko, who is blowing a whistle close to Hernandez’s face and then seemingly pressing up against Hernandez. A scuffle ensues, with Hernandez saying “Get away from me!” before ending up on the ground, while Paige Ostroushko is seen confronting Hernandez and shouting “You [expletive] touched me!”

Another video of the confrontation shows Hernandez attempting to get past Paige Ostroushko, who then appears to push Hernandez into a fence, with Hernandez falling over.

The DOJ did not provide detailed information about Hernandez’s injuries in its statement. The indictment alleges that the defendants’ actions included forcefully confronting and willfully injuring the journalist while she was carrying out her reporting duties.

“These deplorable actions as charged in the indictment will not be tolerated in America, and this Department of Justice will always punish unhinged acts of political violence,” Blanche said.

In a post on X, Hernandez said, “Thank you to the DOJ and FBI for doing everything they can to ensure that justice is fully served in this case. I am incredibly grateful to see our justice system at work.”

Christopher Ostroushko told Brian Shapiro on his podcast “Pushing the Limits” that his family isn’t violent.

“We are absolutely not violent people. In fact, we tend to shy away from it,” Ostroushko said.

Kimberly Hayek contributed to this report.