Overview
- Federal prosecutors charged Nathan Griffin, 24, with one count of forcibly assaulting and interfering with a federal officer following a Friday encounter outside Laugh Factory Chicago.
- The complaint says agents had stopped near Broadway and Belmont to look for a body-worn camera from a prior arrest when Griffin allegedly shut a car door on an agent’s leg, causing a small gouge and scrapes.
- Body-camera footage cited by investigators captures Griffin saying, “I didn’t assault anybody… shutting a door isn’t a f****** crime,” as agents arrested him and turned him over to the FBI.
- Video from bystanders shows masked agents tackling and handcuffing Griffin and briefly restraining his mother as Chicago police arrived to manage the crowd and made no arrests at the scene.
- A Border Patrol spokesperson said Griffin tried to impede officers; Griffin’s mother has called the arrest a “kidnapping,” Laugh Factory’s operations chief says he made no physical contact, and a family GoFundMe has raised roughly $20,000–$22,000 for legal costs.