A new video purportedly shows Alex Pretti spitting at federal agents and damaging a government SUV days before he was fatally shot by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis. The video does not alter the analysis of whether the fatal shooting was justified. However, it raises some obvious questions, including why Pretti was not previously arrested on multiple grounds. The videotape also contradicts the family’s account of the earlier encounter.
The new videotape shows a violent individual who forced the confrontation with officers. Pretti is shown screaming “f— you” repeatedly while flashing double middle fingers. He then destroys the rear signal light and the surrounding area.
The attorney for the Pretti family, Steve Schleicher, issued a statement that:
“A week before Alex was gunned down in the street — despite posing no threat to anyone — he was violently assaulted by a group of (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents. Nothing that happened a full week before could possibly have justified Alex’s killing at the hands of ICE on Jan 24.”
While some of us have objected that the videotape of the fatal shooting did not support initial claims of the Administration on Pretti threatening officers before the shooting, this video clearly does not support the claims of the family. Damaging the vehicle and spitting at officers are violent acts that are threatening to law enforcement. It was not a “violent assault,” but a justified takedown by officers. What is curious is the fact that Pretti was then let go by the officers.
Pretti should have been arrested and charged with a felony for damaging the vehicle and attacking officers. Since he was armed, he could have been charged with committing a felony in possession of a weapon.
I am mystified why Pretti was not arrested. He clearly damaged the car and appears to be resisting arrest. I fail to understand why the agents took him down but then failed to complete the arrest. It may be due to the mob that was forming. (Protesters bizarrely express surprise that the agents would move against a man who just damaged their vehicle).
Again, the videotape does not have bearing on the lawfulness or unlawfulness of the shooting. We still have to see the body cam footage to see what preceded an officer screaming “gun.” Many details still must be confirmed. Keep in mind, the question is not whether officers were right, but whether they were reasonable under the circumstances.
Here is the new videotape from the prior encounter:
Minnesota statute 609.11 provides for enhancements of penalties when one possesses a firearm during the commission of a felony. Destruction of property is not among them. And though it does increase the penalty for first, second, and third degree assaults, the conduct of Pretti in resisting arrest or spitting at the officers or their vehicle wouldn’t be one of those. So I think Prof. Turley erred when he said Pretti’s possession of the firearm during the earlier incident would have increased the penalty if arrested for destruction of property or assaulting the officers. But as Charlie Kirk said, “Prove me wrong.”
He was a hero days before he was shot.
He would be alive today if he had kept back.
I just thank God there is someone with your intelligence and rationality looking at these situations.
Amen. Turley examines everything carefully, rationally and interprets that data in light of a brilliant, knowledgeable constitutional scholar.
“ While some of us have objected that the videotape of the fatal shooting did not support initial claims of the Administration on Pretti threatening officers before the shooting, this video clearly does not support the claims of the family.”
Some of us? You barely acknowledged the Trump administration was outright lying. Because everyone noticed big of a lie they tried to spread in contrast to reality. Professor, you tried to join in on enabling of the false narrative against Pretti. Come on.
Turley is, as almost everyone on the right, looking for an excuse to dismiss the seriousness of the shooting and look for an excuse to deflect. That is expected.
“ The new videotape shows a violent individual who forced the confrontation with officers. Pretti is shown screaming “f— you” repeatedly while flashing double middle fingers. He then destroys the rear signal light and the surrounding area.
The video shows an angry protester. Not a violent individual. Characterizing Pretti as a “violent individual” incorrectly insinuates that he is violent all the time. Kicking a vehicle and allegedly spitting on officers is not evidence that he is a “violent individual”.
Kicking the light out is at as minimum a misdemeanor, not a felony. The alleged spitting can be charged as a felony but that would require the individual ICE officer to file charges if he indeed got spat on. Spitting on and spitting AT an individual are distinctions that determine the charges.
If Turley is confused about why Pretti was not arrested, perhaps as he mused, was because there was a growing mob and few officers….or… they were too overwhelmed with so many other protesters. Who knows since there is very little information.
The video is alleged to be real, but with so many AI fakes out there it’s possible it’s just an AI. I mean the Trump administration has used AI to manipulate a photo of one of the church protest organizers a few days ago.
But as Turley noted, this alleged video does not change the facts of what happened to Pretti. The Trump administration has already backtracked on its claims about what happened and formally put on leave the two officers who shot him. It may mean the evidence of an unjustified use of deadly force is very likely. Miller even admitted the officers did not follow proper protocol. That is not a good sign.
“ I fail to understand why the agents took him down but then failed to complete the arrest.”
Like it has been the norm with these guys perhaps they just wanted to beat him up as a form of retaliation. Let’s not forget that these guys were probably as poorly trained as it is reported. The just wanted to beat him up and give him a ‘lesson’.
Now the armed assumption Turley nor anyone else has no evidence that he was in this video. It does not change the fact that he was still legal being armed at a protest.
georgie digs himself in deeper and deeper.
In the shuffling madness of a hostile, violent, threatening crowd, a phone is easily perceived as a gun, if you are the one being threatened.
Your obsession with blaming Trump for every thing causes you to misinterpret every thing. Your love of hate spreads the fires of rage which lead to these kinds of situations, which is exactly what you live for. Your life is hating; violently pushing your love of destruction.
You have nothing
IOW, these screaming fools approved of the murders of
Jocelyn Nungaray (12, Texas): Two Venezuelan men in the country illegally were arrested and charged with capital murder in June 2024,
Laken Riley (22, Georgia): A nursing student who was killed in February 2024 while jogging. A Venezuelan man who entered the U.S. illegally was charged with her murder.
Rachel Morin (37, Maryland): A mother of five was found murdered in August 2023. In June 2024, a suspect from El Salvador, who was in the country illegally, was arrested.
Larisha Thompson (South Carolina): Six undocumented immigrants were charged in connection with a robbery-turned-murder in June 2025.
Dr. Turley how can you be surprised he wasn’t immediately arrested? ICE/border patrol/the feds are not there to enforce local law and order. The local police are supposed to be doing that. Also, there was a violent mob. Wake up professor, it is later than you think!
. If ICE had called police they wouldn’t have responded. If a bystander had called, the same inaction? Most likely.
The worm Walz has turned.
Turley: why do you write stuff like this? Oh, I know–it’s part of the MAGA messenging agenda you are paid to participate in. Assuming the person in the video was Pretti, spitting on a car and damaging a taillight are NOT felonies, and you know it–at best they are something in the nature of misdemeanor vandalism—so why do you exaggerate? Oh, I know–it’s part of the MAGA messenging agenda. Pretti was passionately defending the city he loves, so Turley waxes about how outrageous it was that Pretti spit on a car and kicked a taillight—what about the Trump army of thugs who did millions of damage to the Capitol building and beat up Capitol police? Do you really think you have any credibility when you defend what the J6 losers did and that Trump pardoned them and then go after a VA nurse who devoted his life to caring for others? Even Republicans know Pretti’s murder was just plain wrong. Pretti was angry over what ICE has done to his city–his anger is understandably righteous, which is not to say it was OK to kick out a taillight and spit on a car. Turley wrote today’s little piece of whatever as part of the MAGA theme–see what thugs “the Left” are. It stinks.
And, Turley just HAD to accuse the Pretti family of lying, instead of addressing the REAL liars–ICE Barbie, Trump, Vance, et al., who falsely accused Pretti of brandishing a weapon and being a “domestic terrorist”. Trump wants to use the power he cheated to get to intimidate the citizens of Minneapolis with his jack-booted army of loser cowards with guns, but the protesters are winning.* They are fighting for their city–and protesters always win–whether it was those who demonstrated for the civil rights of blacks, those who protested the Viet Nam war –in time, the protesters always win and they will win this battle, too, but not until after people get killed and a lot of money is spent. And–for what? WHERE are the violent criminals that ICE is supposed to be rounding up? ICE Is in Minneapolis because Minnesota is the state where Tim Walz is governor, and he ran against Trump. Minnesota ranks 28th in the number of undocumented migrants–so why are thousands of these thugs sent there? Why isn’t ICE raiding meatpacking plants, large agri-business outfits, hotels and restaurant chains? Because they get a pass because they donate to Trump and because they can’t stay in business without migrant labor. Milwaukee is under seige because of Trump and his fragile ego. He’s going to show them who’s boss–but what he is really showing the world is just how tiny a person he really is, how he cannot stand to lose, and that retribution is his main agenda.
Meanwhile, in REAL legal news, Trump has ordered the confiscation of Fulton County ballots, tabulation tapes, tabulation equipment, envelopes, absentee ballots, mail ballots and voter rolls, and the pre-determined outcome was announced when he was in Davos–the election was stolen, and people will be charged criminally. He had the arrogance to claim that “everyone” knows this. Those ballots were counted not less than 4 times, by Republicans in Georgia, and the result was the same each time–Trump lost. But, he has to re-write history, so if you want to talk about something “everyone knows”, it will be that the materials taken in Fulton County will be altered and/or destroyed–because King Donald has so commanded, so he can claim he “won”. All of this is, of course, a precursor to the midterms, which Trump knows Republicans will lose, so he’s trying to pre-rig the election.
*citing the monologue of Lawrence O’Donnell–thank you!
commie got himself all worked up.
it’s ‘smelly slop’ gigi again.
LOL
Poor timmy
Tim Walz says he’ll never seek elected office again
The Minnesota governor unexpectedly announced this month that he wouldn’t run for re-election.
Yeah like a snow-ball chance.
Plus all that fraud knocking on your back door.
“Allegedly?” “Purportedly?” Seriously, Professor? Words carry meanings. What, exactly, is obscure about the new video? It appears, at minimum, to depict an enraged anti-ICE Alex Pretti with a mindset brimming with fury and a propensity for directing that anger at ICE personnel trying to clean up the mess created by Robinette the Marionette, Tampon Timmy Walz, Somaliapolis mayor Frey and the lunatic policies of “sanctuary” cities.
And, BTW, has anyone answered the question of whether the rounds loaded in the two magazines the Border Patrol recovered with Pretti’s 9mm Sig Sauer at the scene of his demise were “normal” bullets … or instead, “hollow-point” rounds? His demeanor in the new video suggests the latter might possibly be the case.
As Charlie Kirk might have challenged: “Prove me wrong.”
From what I read. ICE had to leave the area because so many protestors had taken over the area.