Pretti seen scuffling with US agents days before death

Emerging videos show Alex Pretti being forcibly taken to the ground by US federal immigration officers after kicking the taillight of their vehicle during a protest in Minneapolis, 11 days before he was shot and killed by Border Patrol officers.

The fight on Jan. 13 was captured in a pair of videos in which Pretti shouted profanities at federal officers and struggled with them.

While he’s on the ground, his winter coat comes off and he either breaks free or the officers let him go and he runs away.

When he turns his back to the camera, what looks like a gun is visible around his waist.

At no point in the videos is Pretti seen reaching for a gun, and it is unclear whether federal agents saw him.

A person with knowledge of the incident confirmed to The Associated Press that the man in the video was Pretti and that he told his family about the confrontation.

Just a peaceful legal observer 🤔 pic.twitter.com/ohmGe0WnDJ— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 28, 2026

New videos have reignited the debate about the death of 37-year-old Pretti, a nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center in the USA.

The president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., posted one of the videos on X and commented, “Just a peaceful legal observer.”

Minneapolis-based attorney Steve Schleicher, who represents Pretti’s parents, said the earlier argument in no way justified the officers’ fatal shooting of Pretti on Saturday.

“A week before Alex was shot in the street – although he posed no threat to anyone – he was violently attacked by a group of (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents,” Schleicher said in a written statement. he said.

“Nothing that happened a week ago could have justified Alex’s murder by ICE on January 24th.”

A spokesperson for the department said Homeland Security Investigations is reviewing the new videos and the incident.

It is unknown whether any of the officers involved were present when Pretti was killed.

Last weekend’s fatal shooting occurred on the sidewalk next to the street where Pretti was videotaping immigration officers.

In the video taken by bystanders, a police officer pushes him, then Pretti is forced to the ground and half a dozen police officers try to subdue him.

Someone sees Pretti’s gun, which he is licensed to carry, and shouts, “He has a gun.”

Two police officers then opened fire and Pretti was killed.

US administration officials immediately reacted by saying that Pretti approached the police officers with a gun and attacked them.

The altercation and shooting were captured on multiple videos and showed that Pretti did not brandish his gun or attack any officers.

He was holding his phone when he was shot in the back while on the ground.

New videos from the week before the shooting came from two sources.

One of the images, published by the Minnesota Star Tribune and later obtained by the AP, was taken by witness Max Shapiro, who filmed the interaction.

The second was done by the team of The News Movement, an online media outlet.

In an interview on Wednesday, attorney Shapiro said in the Signal chat that he saw immigration enforcement in the area.

Shapiro parked half a block away from the cops and got out.

“The observers were pretty distraught and screaming,” he said, adding that officers tried to hold back the crowd but their instructions were largely drowned out by whistling and shouting.

Video from The News Movement shows Pretti wearing glasses, a dark baseball cap and a winter jacket, yelling at federal vehicles; At one point he appears to be spitting and yelling “trash” toward the driver’s side of a dark Ford Expedition with flashing red and blue lights.

As the vehicle slowly drives away, Pretti kicks the taillight and then gives a second kick, shattering the red plastic and causing the taillight to shake.

Shapiro began filming with his phone immediately after Pretti turned on the tail light.

Both videos show the rear door of the SUV opening and an immigration officer wearing a gas mask and helmet stepping out.

He begins walking towards Pretti, grabbing his shirt by the chest and pulling him towards the vehicle as Pretti’s arms flail.

The officer pulls Pretti back into the street, forces him to his knees, and falls on top of Pretti during the scuffle.

Other masked and helmeted officers surround them and try to subdue Pretti.

Others stand guard between them and the screaming crowd before officers fire tear gas canisters and retreat.

After Pretti stumbles, Shapiro comes over and hugs Pretti, asking if she’s okay.

Pretti confirms so, before turning to the others in the melee and asking: “Are we all okay? Are we all safe?”

Shapiro said he understands that some will use the videos to smear Pretti, but he appears to be someone who cares deeply about what happens to people caught up in the federal government’s deportation efforts.