ST PAUL, Minn. — A Department of Homeland Security operation in St. Paul escalated into a chaotic confrontation Tuesday, with protesters and law enforcement offering sharply different accounts of what happened as chemical irritants and pepper balls were deployed.
Protesters say they were peacefully assembled when officers fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd. Law enforcement officials countered and said the scene had grown chaotic and that multiple warnings were issued before force was used.
COPAL, Communities Organizing Latine Power and Action, said its trained “constitutional observers” were caught up in the clash despite following protocol…