Judd: Use Car as Weapon, Get Shot
Sheriff Grady Judd didn’t mince words this week. He defended an ICE agent who fired at a driver in Minneapolis. He called the situation simple. A car used as a weapon is a deadly weapon.
Video from the incident shows an SUV backing up and then accelerating toward an officer who was trying to remove the occupant. The footage is stark. The threat looks real.
Judd’s message was direct. “What did the occupant expect? They should have expected to be shot when you commit a deadly assault on a law enforcement officer,” he said in a recorded statement. He argued officers face life-or-death choices in seconds. He said that using a vehicle to strike an officer is no different than using a knife or a gun.
He also took aim at Minneapolis leaders. He called the mayor’s response “filthy, uninformed talk.” He said the rhetoric from some local officials hurts officers and sends the wrong signal to criminals. “Shame on you,” Judd said, addressing the mayor. “You have to be accountable for your conduct, and that starts with the mayor.”
The sheriff and others note a grim reality. In a fight with a car, the human body will almost always lose. Law enforcement officers train for that. They make split-second calls when a deadly force threat appears. That’s what Judd was defending.
Supporters of the ICE agent say the shooting was justified. Critics call for restraint and review. That debate is playing out in public now. Local leaders in Minneapolis face heavy scrutiny from both sides.
Judd’s lines were sharp. Social posts picked up the soundbite and ran with it. One widely shared clip quoted him bluntly: “If you VIOLENTLY assault [police] with two-ton weapons, EXPECT TO BE SHOT!”
Watch the original social post and video here:
🚨 HOLY CRAP. Florida Sheriff Grady Judd just went NUCLEAR on Tim Walz, Jacob Frey and the Left in Minneapolis
"If you VIOLENTLY assault [police] with two-ton weapons, EXPECT TO BE SHOT!"
DON'T MESS WITH FLORIDA SHERIFFS! ☀️🔥
"So let's do this. Let's send out the message… pic.twitter.com/P6XhaQwaym
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 8, 2026
Whether you agree with Judd or not, the case raises big questions. How should officers respond to vehicle attacks? How should elected leaders talk about law enforcement? The answers will matter. Lives are on the line.