Pretti Clash Footage Surfaces Days Before He Was Killed

By Staff, Agencies

Newly released footage shows Alex Pretti in a tense clash with federal agents in Minneapolis 11 days before he was fatally shot, capturing a prior physical confrontation that’s now fueling debate over the deadly encounter.

About two minutes of video released Wednesday shows officers taking Pretti to the ground during protests in Minneapolis on 13 January.

It is unclear what led up to the encounter, but the video shows Pretti shouting at agents in an unmarked car and kicking its tail light before an armed agent exits the vehicle and tackles him as others move in.

Pretti appeared to break free shortly after and remained at the scene as agents departed. The video later shows what appears to be a gun in his waistband after his coat is pulled off, though he never touched it and was reported to have a concealed-carry permit.

A family representative confirmed to the Guardian that Pretti appears in the footage, and the family’s attorney said he was assaulted by ICE agents a week before his killing, an incident the family says caused injuries but did not justify his death.

The Minnesota Star Tribune published a bystander video showing officers tackling Pretti, while a YouTube clip from the same day captures the protests, with honking cars and people blowing whistles.

Pretti and other protesters confronted federal agents near where Renee Good had been killed, with videos showing teargas and pepper balls fired as officers held him down and residents yelled.

A Department of Homeland Security [DHS] spokesperson said they are reviewing the footage, while Sahan Journal reported over 100 people had gathered to protest after ICE’s presence, though it’s unclear what sparked Pretti’s anger.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in an email Wednesday night that they were reviewing the footage.

A woman was forcibly removed from her car, and Rep. Aisha Gomez said agents tackled another man and shoved her. Mayor Frey said the footage wasn’t relevant to Pretti’s killing 11 days later.

Trump officials falsely said Pretti was brandishing a gun and planning to “massacre” officers, a claim contradicted by video, and his family blasted those statements as “sickening lies.