Kyle Rittenhouse says he didn't know he would be 'arrested for defending myself' when he turned himself in to police

• Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty of all five charges against him on Friday.
• Following his acquittal, Rittenhouse gave an exclusive interview with Fox News' Tucker Carlson.

Kyle Rittenhouse said he "didn't know he was going to be arrested for defending" himself when he turned himself in to police last August.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News's Tucker Carlson, Rittenhouse said he didn't know what would happen when he turned himself into police in Antioch, Illinois.

"I was in shock. My head was spinning from being hit in the head multiple times. I had some minor injuries. I just didn't know," Rittenhouse told Carlson. "I didn't know I was going to be arrested for defending myself because everything was on video."

Rittenhouse, who was found not guilty on all five charges brought against him on Friday, said he thinks part of the reason he was arrested was because of the "mob mentality."

"They were like yeah 'we're just going to arrest him' even though there were videos already out showing me being attacked and having to defend myself," Rittenhouse said.

He said he was "formally arrested at around 6:00 a.m." on August 25, 2020, at the police department, without a criminal complaint being drafted. Rittenhouse said police in Antioch did not know what they were charging him with before they arrested him.

Rittenhouse said his mother "wanted to go into hiding," but he told her he didn't do anything wrong and the right thing to do was to turn himself in.

Rittenhouse was then taken to the Robert W. Depke Juvenile Center. During his interview with Carlson, Rittenhouse praised the guards at the juvenile center.

"I got to say 'thank you' to them for their professionalism," he said.

Carlson was surprised by Rittenhouse's remarks and responded with "really?"

"They were some of the most professional people I've ever met. It was amazing," Rittenhouse said. "They treated me with respect and they didn't talk down to you like you've seen in some videos. They just treated me like I was a human."

Insider was unable to reach the Antioch police department at the time of publication.