Ellettsville man arrested after police say he allegedly pointed shotgun, pepper-sprayed people during anti-ICE, anti-Flock protest in Bloomington

Protesters, one armed with a shotgun, secure an intersection as protesters cross the street during a protest march Friday, January 30, 2026. Courtesday photo by Lisa Wilson

Staff report

Bloomington, Ind. – February 2, 2026

What we know about the arrest

42-year-old Ryan D. Hughes has been arrested after Bloomington Police Department say he allegedly pointed a shotgun at drivers and later pepper-sprayed two people during Friday’s anti-Flock Safety and anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement rally and march in Bloomington. Police say Hughes was carrying two loaded firearms, a red-and-white megaphone, and pepper spray when officers located him after the weapons complaint.

The incident unfolded amid heightened tensions following the fatal shootings of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis earlier this month.

What police say happened

In a Monday release, police said officers were called at about 2:15 p.m. Friday to a weapons complaint near Walnut Street and Kirkwood Avenue after a 47-year-old Bloomington man reported a confrontation while trying to turn northbound onto Walnut.

According to police, the driver said:

• A protester blocked traffic by standing in the street, then stepped in front of his vehicle as he attempted to go around another stopped car.
• The protester pointed a shotgun at him and said, “I’ll fuck you up,” causing the driver to fear for his life.
• Multiple protesters then hit the vehicle, causing damage.

Police said the complainant and another caller described the suspect as a white male wearing dark clothing and a black mask, carrying a red-and-white megaphone and a shotgun with a pistol grip, with a handgun strapped to his chest. Police said another caller reported seeing the suspect point the shotgun at several passing vehicles.

Police said officers found Hughes a short time later in the 400 block of East 4th Street. Police said he had a red-and-white megaphone, pepper spray, and two loaded firearms—a Bersa 9mm handgun and a 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun with a pistol grip.

Police also reported two pepper-spray incidents:

• About 2:40 p.m.: A 41-year-old Bloomington man told officers he went to the protest to locate his 15-year-old daughter, approached the armed megaphone carrier thinking he was a leader, and was shoulder-checked and pepper-sprayed while trying to ask about his daughter.
• About 3:00 p.m.: A 65-year-old Bloomington man reported he told an armed protester to back up while trying to turn, then was pepper-sprayed through an open window; police said a snowball was also thrown into the vehicle.

Police said Hughes was booked into Monroe County Jail on:

• Intimidation (Level 5 felony)
• Pointing a firearm (Level 6 felony)
• Battery (Class A misdemeanor) (two counts)

What protesters and witnesses told The Bloomingtonian

The Bloomingtonian began looking into the incident after the march Friday, after hearing scanner traffic about a man with a red-and-white megaphone and firearms being detained.

Several people who said they were near Hughes during the protest disputed parts of the police narrative and offered alternative accounts. Among the claims provided to The Bloomingtonian:

• One witness said they saw a vehicle “hit” a protester near Sample Gates and described escalating confrontations and a fight involving a person recording protesters and an allegation that a female protester was grabbed and pushed down.
• A second witness described Hughes as helping people cross streets and said they did not see him brandish a firearm.
• A third witness said the pepper-spray account involving the man searching for his daughter was “extremely misleading,” alleging the man was physically and verbally aggressive and was sprayed only after repeated warnings.

The Bloomingtonian also received messages indicating that at least one person says they have video of an incident and shared it with Hughes’ attorney, but did not release it publicly.

Context: armed “security” at protests

It’s common for demonstrators to designate people as informal “security” during protest marches, particularly after past incidents in which vehicles have driven into crowds, injuring or killing protesters, which happened in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, and happened in Bloomington in 2020, at the conclusion of a protest, even though some local protesters were armed with guns.

The Bloomingtonian also noted a prior 2020 downtown protest in which a vehicle struck protesters near 4th Street and Walnut Street, not far from where Friday’s events unfolded. At the July 2020 protest two protesters were carries on top of a small car, and tossed when the car turned right onto 6th. One of the protesters was seriously injured.

What we don’t know yet

• Whether any publicly releasable video clearly shows Hughes pointing a firearm at a driver or vehicles (and what happened immediately before and after).
• The extent of vehicle damage reported in the 2:15 p.m. incident, and whether photos, repair estimates, or additional reports exist.
• Whether additional witnesses, body-worn camera footage, or downtown surveillance footage corroborate any of the competing accounts.
• Whether prosecutors will add, amend, or dismiss charges after reviewing evidence.

What’s next

• Court filings (probable cause affidavit, charging information) should add detail about what police say they can prove and what evidence they relied on.

The post Ellettsville man arrested after police say he allegedly pointed shotgun, pepper-sprayed people during anti-ICE, anti-Flock protest in Bloomington first appeared on The Bloomingtonian.