Viral Video Showing Alex Pretti Kicking, Spitting on ICE Vehicle is Authentic — Update Added
“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.”
The video of Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old ICU nurse who was fatally shot by ICE officers in Minneapolis last Saturday, that took social media by storm on Wednesday afternoon, is indeed authentic. The Minnesota Star-Tribune reported late Wednesday that “a spokesperson for his family and the family’s attorney have verified that the man seen in the video is Pretti.”
The video was recorded on January 13, 11 days prior to his death, by a bystander, and later obtained by The News Movement (TNM).
It features Pretti angrily spitting at ICE agents and kicking the taillight off an ICE vehicle. The vehicle stops, and an agent steps out. He grabs Pretti and pushes him to the ground. Other agents join the scuffle. Before long, the agents retreat. Pretti stands up and remains with the other agitators.
TNM’s narrator told viewers, “What appears to be a gun is also visible above his waistband.”
It’s been widely reported that Pretti suffered a broken rib during an encounter with federal agents the week before his death. I assume that happened during this clash.
Looking at this video that reportedly shows Alex Pretti spitting at ICE Agents and kicking out the tail light of their vehicle, one thought occurs to me. If he had been arrested and charged that day, he might still be alive.
I can't help but wonder if not arresting him then and… pic.twitter.com/mjN6DYXTGu
— Megan Basham (@megbasham) January 28, 2026
Prior to the confirmation from the Pretti family’s spokesperson, TNM reported on X that it “appears to be Alex Pretti interacting with federal immigration agents” and that the clip had been analyzed by the BBC, “whose facial recognition technology confirmed his identify to a 97% degree of accuracy.”
Star-Tribune on new Pretti video: "A spokesperson for his family and the family’s attorney have verified that the man seen in the video is Pretti." Oddly-written story reports officers charged Pretti after he gave them the finger. Word "taillight" does not appear until 11th graf.…
— Byron York (@ByronYork) January 29, 2026
The Star-Tribune’s bias was evident throughout the entire article. The newspaper quoted the Pretti family’s attorney, Steve Schleicher, who said, “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.”
From the Star-Tribune:
[Max] Shapiro, a Minneapolis-based corporate tax attorney [who recorded the video], rushed to the area just before 10:30 a.m. after Signal group chats alerted him to ICE enforcement activity near his young son’s Spanish-Immersion daycare.
Shapiro said he witnessed several in the crowd of 15 to 20 people lobbing snowballs at agents. Then, he said, a bearded man positioned in the street — wearing a brown coat, black hat and sunglasses — proceeded to kick out the taillight of an agent’s SUV.
Shapiro’s account matches events captured in separate video posted to social media Wednesday afternoon by conservative influencer Nick Sortor, showing the encounter from a different angle.
Shapiro’s recording begins seconds later when Pretti is seen flipping off the car full of federal officers. One beelines straight toward him and spins him to the ground. Other agents shoot pepper balls, toss smoke canisters and threaten the use of chemical irritants in an attempt to keep the angry crowd back.
Three other officers pounce on the man, appearing to strike him while restrained.
The reaction to Pretti’s smashing of the tail light seemed overly aggressive, Shapiro later told the Star Tribune.
“Is it grounds for getting out of a car after you’ve already packed up and decided that you were going to leave and then assault a person and harass a group of observers? Probably not,” Shapiro said, noting that Pretti did not appear to fight back, only attempt to flee.
In a Tuesday night appearance on CNN, far-left contributor Ana Navarro — best known as a co-host of ABC’s The View — made remarks that did not age well. She said of Pretti,“This is like the perfect guy. Alex Pretti’s the guy you’d want to date your daughter. The guy you want your son to grow up to be. A decent human being who was serving humanity …”
With all due respect, I would hate for my daughter to date him, and I’m happy that my sons are nothing like him.
Last night on CNN.
Ana Navarro: Alex Pretti was the perfect guy. He's the guy that you want to date your daughter. He's the man you want your son to be. They can't malign him because we have the videos.
Turns out Ana didn't have all the videos. pic.twitter.com/M7s3zBS8JQ
— MAZE (@mazemoore) January 28, 2026
Update: Thursday, 1:45
The hypocrisy never stops with the Democrats. In the post below, X favorite MAZE combined the Pretti video with a heartwarming tribute from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
The Story of Alex Pretti.
Read by Elizabeth Warren. pic.twitter.com/mxq7BkcEtx
— MAZE (@mazemoore) January 29, 2026
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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Comments
A little self restraint can go a long way. Would YOU want to be attended to by a medical professional who would do things like this? Such people are not to be trusted so I know I wouldn’t.
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I saw some blurb, I think over on X, of some nurse endorsing injecting “maga” folks with a drug that paralyses, and can stop respiration.
And that harridan lost her job.
yeah
but the others will carry out her mission
Odd how so many in the medical profession seem to be deranged.
Few are, just like there are only a few fringe people. But they have big mouths, and they make a lot of noise, so it looks like they represent a majority. They don’t.
Yeah homeboy had some anger management and impulse control issues. Though he reportedly wasn’t employed as an ‘ICU/ER Nurse’ b/c he’d quit his job a few months ago.
In my anecdotal experience Nurses tend to come in three broad flavors;
1. gold diggers who want to marry a DR,
2. emotionally unregulated psychos who misuse their temporary power/control over patients/visitors and seek constant validation that they are the ‘star’ of their cosplay
3. genuinely good people who have good intentions to help others and serve their community in a meaningfully beneficial way and show up rain or shine to care for folks working their ass off to carry the load of the first two categories
Pretti seems to fit #2 perfectly. In his own mind he’s a ‘heroic figure, fighting the good fight’ and his criminal actions don’t matter b/c ICE is ‘evil’. Frankly had they arrested that goon and gotten him booked with a substantial bail and given his behavior required a psych evaluation before release he might still have been in custody instead of injecting himself into an active LEO operand getting shot. Unless they kept him long term in the nut house dosed with thorazine he would probably have returned to the streets to live out his fantasy life.
Given the large amount of former military in ICE, I want to know if this scumbag used his VA position to access and distribute the personal information of ICE agents.
There’s a pic out there, supposed to be of Pretti at his job.
The American flag on the wall only has 11 stripes. Hmmmm….
That’s unfortunate.
Still was a miserable shoot and Noem/Patel/POTUS’s stance on concealed carry is untenable but this is certainly a feather in the red cap
Your characterization of the shoot is too harsh. It was “unfortunate,” even while being justifiable. Certain elements of the event “didn’t have to happen” (making it unfortunate), but other factors asserted themselves once the confrontation was forced (by Pretti).
Well ultimately he died because an agent incompetently identified one of his colleague’s gunshots as one of Pretti’s.
You can say he forced the confrontation and met the bare minimum definition of assault. If you think most any judge or jury in this country would think it justified the level of force exerted, then you’re frankly a fool
In many circles this shooting would be classified as “awful, but lawful”.
The man was actively, violently resisting arrest after injecting himself into an ICE/CBP activity that did not involve him. In a few seconds he managed to commit 2 federal felonies, and was armed, with a firearm, while doing so. He is the victim of his own bad choices this day.
Morally, he shouldn’t have been shot just for being armed.
Pragmatically, he never should have been armed if he was going to fight with police. (And he was definitely going to fight with police.)
Legally, if you’re fighting with the popo, they have a LOT of leeway as to what’s considered a “good shoot.” And for good reason.
LOL Ana Navarro – Sooper Conservative. What a joke.
This is a great example as to why the 48 hour rule is so important.
Or you could just as easily listen to the first thing that comes from the liberal hive mind and place your bet that the truth is 180 degrees opposite of that.
Never could stand her but was surprised by her recent Maduro/Venezuela take.
That same facial recognition software asserts that Brigitte Macron is her own brother, so I’d say it’s pretti darn accurate.
yeah
but will she marry herself like omar did with hers??
with an admirable kick he busted off the taillight of the vehicle
alex wasnt fn around
and neither were the leo on the next meeting
Seems like a peaceful guy. Well, he at least he is peaceful now and he’ll never pull that gun out now so the anti-2a people should be happy.
Gee. and here I thought I had a nice sarcastic comment going.
There are some people who that are still white knighting this freak.
Seriously? Why?
Hehehe.. at least 3 I see
“Is it grounds for getting out of a car after you’ve already packed up and decided that you were going to leave and then assault a person and harass a group of observers? Probably not.”
Shapiro reveals his complete and utter ignorance concerning police operations and training.
Yep. Someone who intentionally provokes and then attacks LEO out of a policy disagreement set in DC is someone who is a danger to the rest of the community.
I wouldn’t have gotten out of the car. I’d have put it in reverse.
Corporate lawyer gonna corporate
Ugh… they had his ass on 2 charges!
The threshold for government property destruction under 18 U.S.C. § 1361 is set at $1,000. If the damage exceeds this amount, penalties can include a fine or imprisonment for up to ten years; if it does not exceed $1,000, the penalties are less severe.
&
18 U.S.C. 924(c): Firearm Offenses and Mandatory Sentencing. He had a firearm on while causing damage to the SUV.
I would have presented both charges against him and let the AUSA fly with it. Pretti would still be alive today if ICE had arrested him.
Pretti is doing a good job of exercising his Right To Remain Silent
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