A recently surfaced video purportedly captures Alex Pretti engaging in a confrontation with federal agents in Minneapolis, where he is seen spitting at them and vandalizing a government SUV just days prior to being fatally shot by U.S. Border Patrol agents. The footage, which emerged on Wednesday courtesy of The News Movement, is said to have been recorded on January 13.
In the video, a man matching Pretti’s description—sporting a beard, glasses, and attire similar to what he was wearing at the time of his death—appears to be involved in a heated exchange. He is observed shouting at the federal agents, spitting, and delivering a forceful kick to the taillight of a federal SUV, shattering it in the process.
Amidst the chaos, the man repeatedly yells profanities and raises his middle fingers in defiance. In response, the agents exit their vehicle, advance towards him, and swiftly bring him to the ground.
As tensions escalated, agents resorted to deploying pepper balls and tear gas to disperse a nearby group of agitators during the altercation. Despite the aggressive encounter, the man was eventually released. The video has sparked significant attention, capturing a pivotal moment leading up to the tragic events involving Pretti.
A man, who appears to be Alex Pretti, was caught on camera in Minnesota spitting at federal agents and damaging a government SUV before he was fatally shot. (The News Movement)
Agents sprayed pepper balls and tear gas toward a nearby crowd of agitators as the altercation continued, though the man was ultimately released.
After stepping away from agents, what appears to be a gun is visible in his waistband.
Rather than leave the scene, he remained with other demonstrators who continued shouting obscenities at federal law enforcement officers.
Video appears to show Alex Pretti in a violent encounter with federal agents in Minnesota just days before he was fatally shot by CBP agents. (The News Movement)
Alex Pretti’s family confirmed to The Minnesota Star Tribune that the person seen in the video is Alex Pretti.
“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,” Steve Schleicher, attorney for the Pretti family, told Fox News. “Nothing that happened a full week before could possibly have justified Alex’s killing at the hands of ICE on Jan 24.”
The 37-year-old Department of Veterans Affairs ICU nurse was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents while recording federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis.
Video appears to show Alex Pretti kick in the taillight of a federal vehicle before he’s taken down by federal agents and released. (The News Movement)
Video from the shooting appears to show him attempting to assist a woman who had been knocked to the ground by agents before he was sprayed with a chemical irritant, forced to the pavement and struck.
The footage then shows an agent removing what authorities described as a suspected firearm – a 9mm pistol – from his waistband as other agents fired nearly a dozen rounds.
Officials said one Border Patrol agent fired a CBP-issued Glock 19, while another fired a CBP-issued Glock 47.
A screengrab from a video shows a law enforcement officer spraying irritants at Alex Pretti before he was fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 24, 2026. (Reuters)
Before the shooting, agents were conducting enforcement operations as civilians shouted and blew whistles, with authorities saying the crowd was instructed to remain on the sidewalk to avoid interfering with law enforcement activity.
Authorities said he resisted when agents attempted to take him into custody, leading to a physical struggle.
During the struggle, an unidentified Border Patrol agent can be heard repeatedly shouting that the man was armed, according to the report.
The shooting marked the second fatal incident in Minneapolis in recent weeks involving federal immigration agents amid heightened tensions over enforcement operations and clashes with anti-ICE demonstrators.
