In a revealing report by the New York Times, a newly released video has flipped a tense Minneapolis confrontation between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and Venezuelan immigrants on its head.

On January 14, federal agents attacked two men—Alfredo Aljorna and his cousin, Julio C. Sosa-Celis during Operation Metro Surge. Aljorna was making deliveries as a DoorDash driver when he realized he was being followed by ICE agents.

The scene was swiftly painted by the Department of Homeland Security as a brutal ambush: agents said they were beaten for three minutes with a shovel and broom by three attackers, justifying a gunshot that wounded Sosa-Celis. The men were charged in a federal criminal complaint with forcibly assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers in performance of their official duties.

However, city camera footage, obtained by The New York Times, tells a sharper story. The chase ends in 12 frantic seconds near a duplex porch. There was no prolonged brawl, no third man, and no shovel. Two silhouettes grapple briefly. Aljorna then managed to make it inside his home, where Sosa-Celis stood trying to close the door when he was shot in the leg, according to CNN.

After Police Chief Brian O'Hara reviewed the clip, the bludgeoning claim was dismissed. Mayor Jacob Frey called out the feds for the lapse in a thorough investigation, noting they had the video within hours but sat on it. “Bare due diligence would have shown that the agents were lying,” he said.

Prosecutors filed felony charges anyway, dropping them only after finally watching the footage several weeks later— before a grand jury deadline. The men, who were held in harsh conditions at a detention center near El Paso and Sosa-Celis's untreated burns from a separate accident, eventually walked free.

ICE acting director Todd Lyons admitted two agents likely lied under oath. They're now on leave and facing possible charges.

In a climate that has seen record numbers of injuries, deaths, and legal missteps in favor of achieving record numbers of deportations, this was a rare mea culpa.