Sen. Tim Kaine's son one of six counterprotesters arrested at pro-Trump rally

Linwood Kaine, the youngest son of U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, who was Hillary Clinton's running mate in the presidential election, was one of six counter-protesters arrested during a rally supporting President Donald Trump over the weekend at the State Capitol in St. Paul.

Kaine was arrested Saturday by St. Paul Police and booked into the Ramsey County jail on probable cause of felony riot. According to St. Paul Police, Kaine was part of a group of about 100 counter-protesters, some of whom set off fireworks and smoke bombs inside the Capitol.

Six suspects fled from the scene as officers from St. Paul and troopers from the State Patrol moved in to make arrests. Kaine was approached by a St. Paul officer but attempted to run away, police said. An officer caught him and took him to the ground where he continued to resist arrest. The officer used a chemical irritant and used a knee strike to subdue Kaine, said spokesman Steve Linders.

"He was not cooperative," Linders said.

After being cuffed, he was taken to the Ramsey County jail.

Kaine, 24, who attended Carleton College in Northfield, was released Tuesday. He lives in Minneapolis.

St. Paul Police arrested five suspects, and the State Patrol took one into custody.

Neither Kaine nor the other five suspects has been charged yet. Ramsey County officials declined to press felony charges and forwarded the cases to the St. Paul City Attorney's Office for consideration.

"Their cases are under review," said City Attorney Samuel Clark.

The lack of charges was disappointing to John Krenik, chairman of the Republican party in St. Paul, who felt the lack of action was politically motivated.

"This was a legal protest and these individuals came to disrupt it," Krenik said. "They were terrorists, bullies and put a lot of people at risk."

The St. Paul rally was one of several March4Trump rallies held around the nation Saturday.

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768