Patriot Brief
- What Happened: Newly surfaced video shows Alex Pretti confronting federal immigration agents and shouting profanities at them more than a week before he was fatally shot.
- Why It Matters: The footage undercuts the narrative that Pretti was an uninvolved bystander at the time of the later encounter.
- Bottom Line: Pretti’s prior hostile interaction with agents adds context to the broader Minneapolis immigration enforcement controversy.
Newly surfaced video appears to show Alex Pretti aggressively confronting federal immigration agents in Minneapolis days before he was shot and killed, raising fresh questions about the narrative surrounding his death.
The footage, reportedly recorded about 11 days before the fatal Jan. 24 shooting, shows Pretti yelling profanities at agents, spitting in their direction, and making physical contact with a federal vehicle. In the clip, he can allegedly be heard shouting “f--- you” at officers while giving them obscene gestures before kicking the vehicle’s taillight and breaking it. Agents responded by tackling him to the ground.
At the time, the encounter did not result in Police custody and Pretti was eventually released. Some reports say he suffered injuries during the scuffle.
Breitbart noted that Pretti was already known to federal law enforcement prior to the fatal incident, and CNN cited unnamed sources indicating that immigration officers had documented details about him even before Jan. 24.
The new footage has reignited debate over how Pretti was characterized in the lead up to the shooting. Supporters of the agents’ actions argue that the video shows Pretti engaged in a hostile confrontation, not passive observation. Critics maintain that what happened a week earlier should not justify the deadly force used in the later encounter.
Pretti, a licensed handgun owner with no significant criminal record, was shot by Border Patrol agents amid a larger immigration enforcement operation that drew national attention and widespread protests.
The resurfaced video adds nuance to the story and complicates public narratives about the tragic events that unfolded in Minneapolis. Investigations into the shooting are ongoing and continue to be a flashpoint in national discussions about federal law enforcement and protest dynamics.