Three newly discovered videos show Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti being tackled by federal agents in a prior confrontation, 11 days before he was fatally shot by federal officers. The footage, published by the News Movement and the Minnesota Star Tribune, captures an incident on 13 January in Minneapolis during community protests against the federal crackdown in the city.
The videos show Pretti yelling at agents in an unmarked vehicle, spitting at the vehicle, and kicking the tail light out as it moves away. A heavily armed agent in tactical gear then exits the car and appears to tackle Pretti to the ground, with other officers crowding around. Pretti breaks free and remains on the scene as agents leave. The footage shows what appears to be a gun in his waistband, but Pretti, who had a permit to carry a concealed handgun, never touched it during the altercation.
A family representative confirmed it was Pretti in the footage. Steve Schleicher, attorney for the Pretti family, said: 'A week before Alex was gunned down in the street – despite posing no threat to anyone – he was violently assaulted by a group of ICE agents. Nothing that happened a full week before could possibly have justified Alex’s killing.' The family said Pretti sustained injuries but did not seek medical care.
Witness Max Shapiro, who filmed the interaction, told the Star Tribune: 'He got slammed to the ground pretty hard.' The footage ends with Shapiro asking Pretti if he is OK, and Pretti responding: 'I’m OK. Are we all OK? Are we all safe?' A third video posted on YouTube shows the anger over the immigration enforcement operation, with cars honking and people blowing whistles to alert neighbours to federal agents.
The incident occurred four blocks from where Renee Good had been killed by an ICE officer the week before. During the confrontation, agents fired teargas and pepper balls into the crowd. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said they were reviewing the footage. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he did not consider the prior incident relevant to Pretti’s killing, stating: 'I think we should be talking about the circumstances that actually led to the killing.'
