THIS is the moment a pro-Maduro protester was arrested live on TV after launching into a furious tirade against the Trump’s actions in Venezuela.
Footage shows Jessica Plichta being taken into custody mid-interview after delivering an impassioned rant to a local news station in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Cameras were still rolling when two police officers approached Plichta from behind and placed her in handcuffs, abruptly cutting her appearance short.
“We have to apply pressure at all points that we can,” she told WZZM.
“It’s our tax dollars that are also being used to commit these war crimes.”
Plichta went on to declare it the American public’s “duty to stand against the Trump regime, the Trump administration, for committing crimes both here in the US and against people in Venezuela”.
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The arrest took place during a rally on Saturday, just hours after the Trump administration announced it had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
Plichta claimed she had travelled to Venezuela just three weeks earlier to attend an international gathering.
“I saw Maduro in person. People loved him,” she said.
“Maduro was elected by the people. He is for the people and the people want to see his return.
“Free Maduro.”
As she took off her microphone, officers could be seen moving toward her.
She immediately placed her hands on her head.
Dressed entirely in black, the officers secured both of her wrists in handcuffs before escorting her toward a nearby patrol car.
When a bystander asked why she was being arrested, one officer explained Plichta had been obstructing a roadway and failed to comply with a lawful command.
Police later issued a statement saying officers had made as many as 25 announcements instructing demonstrators to “leave the roadway and relocate their activities to the sidewalk”.
“Blocking traffic in this manner is a direct violation of city and state law,” the statement said.
“The group refused lawful orders to move this free speech event to the sidewalk, and instead began blocking intersections until the march ended.”
Plichta was released later that day.
Following her release, she appeared triumphant, raising her fist and shouting, “Viva Maduro”.
The Grand Rapids demonstration was one of many protests that erupted across the United States condemning Trump’s decision to detain the Venezuelan leader.
Protesters gathered in cities such as Portland and Chicago, as well as outside the White House.
In Seattle, demonstrators held signs reading “Stop bombing Venezuela Now” and “No blood for Oil”.
Outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn crowds chanted “Free Maduro right now,” prompting police intervention after chaos broke out near the facility.
Inside the courtroom, Maduro – wearing an orange top beneath a blue overshirt – told the judge he had been “kidnapped” by the United States.
He insisted he was merely a “prisoner of war.”
During the hearing, Maduro also declared, “I am not guilty, I am a decent man, I am still the president of my country,” before being cut off.
Maduro and his wife face charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
Both pleaded not guilty to all counts.
As he exited the courtroom, Maduro became embroiled in a shouting match with a man who claimed he had been imprisoned by the Venezuelan leader’s regime.
Back in Venezuela, Maduro’s son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, referred to his father as “President Maduro” and publicly demanded his release.
Speaking before the Venezuelan National Assembly, he vowed the ousted leader would return.
The court scheduled the next hearing for March 17.
The former dictator, who has denied all wrongdoing, could face the death penalty if convicted.
Under federal law, defendants found guilty of violating the Controlled Substances Act “as part of a continuing criminal enterprise” may be eligible for capital punishment, according to the Library of Congress.
However, death sentences in drug cases are rare, with most capital convictions involving homicide.
It remains unclear what sentence the Justice Department would seek if Maduro is found guilty.
The case unfolds as Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has been sworn in as Venezuela’s president, formally ending Maduro’s 13-year rule.
Trump warned Rodríguez that could meet an even harsher fate than her predecessor if she failed to cooperate with Washington.
Trump said in an interview: “If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.”