Updated Jan. 28, 2026, 2:55 p.m. ETProtesters claim they were pepper-sprayed by Homeland Security agents at several Zipps Sports Grill locations in the Phoenix area.The protests were in response to federal raids at over a dozen Zipps locations as part of a criminal investigation.Witnesses and protesters stated the demonstrations were non-violent, though they involved yelling at the agents.Protesters who showed up at several Zipps bars in Phoenix to oppose raids by the Department of Homeland Security said they were pepper-sprayed by federal agents for unknown reasons.Videos posted to social media from the Zipps on 32nd Street and Shea Boulevard show agents pepper-spraying protesters from a passenger seat of a truck as they drove away. At the Zipps on 64th Street and Greenway Parkway, a video showed an agent walk up and spray demonstrators, while another agent appeared to wave him down in an apparent de-escalation effort. Both incidents happened the evening of Jan. 26.Across the Valley, state lawmakers said they also were pepper-sprayed without warning at the Zipps in Tempe.The incidents reflect a growing tension between federal agents and the public as unrest heightens in response to President Trump's mass deportation effort. That unrest has drastically escalated since federal immigration officials killed Minnesota residents Renee Good, a mother of three, and Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, in the past month.Legal experts have warned that Trump administration officials, who rushed to defend agents in both incidents and accused Pretti of being a "domestic terrorist," are straining core constitutional rights to free speech, peaceful assembly and the right to bear arms.Federal authorities searched multiple Zipps Sports Grill locations across the Phoenix area Jan. 26 as part of a criminal investigation by the Department of Homeland Security. Officials served federal search warrants at over a dozen locations, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Phoenix.Authorities said an investigation into Zipps was underway for months but have not said what potential crimes they are examining. Nonetheless, protesters and observers almost immediately went to Zipps locations to express dissent and bear witness.The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately answer questions from The Arizona Republic about the use of pepper spray and policies surrounding its use.Destiny Topper, who showed up to the 32nd street location, said protesters were "cursing at the agents, but there was absolutely no violence, which I want to make clear." She said the agents took two adults and a child. The Arizona Republic has not independently verified this claim. Then, when they drove away from the parking lot as protesters remained on the sidewalk screaming at them, an agent rolled down his silver truck window and sprayed at the crowd."No warnings, no violence, nothing," Topper said. "I think that I expect violence from them in certain ways, but we kind of thought it was over as they were driving away. Especially since the protest was more peaceful and distanced, it was definitely surprising."Thomas Massey, who said he attended as an observer, said, "They were well on their way out of the scene. At least from my perspective, I don't know their perspective, there was no reason to have sprayed the pepper spray on the girl or just into the crowd."Video of the incident shows that right before the agent pepper-sprayed, a protester threw what appeared to be wadded up caution tape at the truck in front.Massey said the pepper spray was "very" surprising because the night was otherwise uneventful. Protesters had hurled insults, but agents showed zero reaction, he said.Pepper spray used at several Zipps locations in metro PhoenixErica Connell, an organizer with Arizona's 50501 protest group, was pepper-sprayed at the 64th Street Zipps near Kierland Commons. Connell said the scene was calm from the time she arrived around 4:30 p.m. But sometime after 8 p.m., she said dozens of cars pulled in and some 40 federal agents exited.Connell said protesters didn't block the agents' vehicles, nor did they throw things. A few tried to get in front of officers, but they were "quickly diffused," she said. Mostly, Connell said, the protesters just screamed at agents.Video of the incident shows one agent place his hand on another agent's chest and walk him backward, away from the demonstrators. Then another agent appears in the camera frame and begins spraying his cannister at a few demonstrators. The agent who appeared to be de-escalating a separate agent turns attention to the agent deploying pepper spray and waves him down. The agent deploying pepper spray stops and walks away for a few seconds before turning around and spraying again.Julie Gunnigle, a former Maricopa County attorney candidate who attended as a legal observer and filmed the interaction, said three women were injured from the pepper spray: Connell, one woman who began seizing and one woman who had an asthma attack. The Arizona Republic was unable to independently verify the injuries.Despite the use of force by federal agents, Massey and Topper, who had never before attended a protest, said the incident wouldn't deter them from attending more in the future."It's important to me that I support the community whenever possible and that there are eyes on any violence that does take place," Topper said.Taylor Seely is a First Amendment Reporting Fellow at The Arizona Republic / azcentral.com. Do you have a story about the government infringing on your First Amendment rights? Reach her at tseely@arizonarepublic.com or by phone at 480-476-6116.Seely's role is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.