Three newly released videos reveal a previous altercation between Alex Pretti, a Minneapolis ICU nurse, and federal agents 11 days before he was fatally shot. The footage, published by the News Movement and the Minnesota Star Tribune, shows Pretti being tackled by officers during a protest against immigration enforcement in the city.
The videos, recorded on 13 January, depict Pretti yelling at agents in an unmarked vehicle, spitting at the car, and kicking a tail light. An armed agent in tactical gear then exits the vehicle and tackles Pretti to the ground. Pretti briefly breaks free and remains on the scene as agents leave. The footage reveals a gun in Pretti's waistband, but he never touched it during the incident. State officials confirmed Pretti had a permit to carry a concealed handgun.
Steve Schleicher, attorney for Pretti's family, stated: '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.' A family representative confirmed Pretti sustained injuries but did not seek medical care.
Witness Max Shapiro, who filmed the interaction, told the Minnesota Star Tribune: 'He got slammed to the ground pretty hard.' Shapiro later asked Pretti if he was OK, to which Pretti replied: 'I’m OK. Are we all OK? Are we all safe?'
The incident occurred four blocks from where Renee Good had been killed by an ICE officer the previous week. During the confrontation, agents fired teargas and pepper balls into the crowd. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said they are reviewing the footage.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey dismissed the relevance of the prior incident, stating: 'I think we should be talking about the circumstances that actually led to the killing and what took place and those circumstances.'
