New reporting has revealed that Alex Pretti, the man killed by federal immigration agents last weekend while interfering with their operations in Minneapolis, was a known troublemaker.
The new info comes from CNN, which announced on Tuesday that Pretti had at least one previous encounter with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) before his death last Saturday.
“[S]ources [said] that about a week before his death, he suffered a broken rib when a group of federal officers tackled him while he was protesting their attempt to detain other individuals,” CNN reported.
So he was injured while once again interfering with federal law enforcement efforts.
NEW: CNN reporting that Alex Pretti broke a rib during a separate altercation with federal officers a week before he was fatally shot attempting to obstruct an immigration operation.
According to sources, Pretti was already known to federal authorities for his involvement in…
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) January 27, 2026
“The earlier incident started when he stopped his car after observing ICE agents chasing what he described as a family on foot, and began shouting and blowing his whistle,” CNN’s reporting continued.
The incident ended with Pretti being tackled by five agents and breaking a rib.
“That day, he thought he was going to die,” CNN’s source said.
CNN has learned from law enforcement that “Pretti’s name was known to” them even before he was killed on Saturday, suggesting that he had a history of interfering with federal law enforcement operations.
“When our law enforcement encounters a violent agitator who is breaking the law, obstructing law enforcement, or assaulting them, our law enforcement makes records to advance prosecution,” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in defense of ICE being aware of Pretti.
CNN’s reporting follows another report from the Associated Press revealing that Pretti’s parents had warned him weeks ago to avoid doing “anything stupid” while protesting immigration agents.
“We had this discussion with him two weeks ago or so, you know, that go ahead and protest, but do not engage, do not do anything stupid, basically,” his father, Michael Pretti, said.
The AP also revealed that Pretti had a concealed carry permit but was not known to carry his gun with him anywhere.
Furthermore, Pretti reportedly scrubbed his entire social media presence before his death Saturday.
This, in addition to comments by his parents that he may have joined some group and they had warned him to be careful and “do not do anything stupid,” speaks to his motives.
Both his parents and his ex wife also said he had a concealed carry permit and would occasionally shoot…
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) January 27, 2026
According to investigative journalist Julie Kelly, these new facts raise questions about Pretti’s state of mind and motivation.
“[W]hy did he bring a loaded gun with him during–no, not a protest–another attempt to obstruct/impede an immigration enforcement operation?” she asked in a tweet published Tuesday. “Was he seeking to retaliate for the injury he sustained?”
It’s possible.
All this said, some on social media have been bandying about false reports about Pretti, including this one:
The parents of Alex Pretti say their son quit his hospital job months ago and had shown “unusual behavior” recently. “He seemed to have joined some kind of group. We warned him two weeks ago — protest if you want, but don’t engage, don’t do anything stupid,” his father, Michael… pic.twitter.com/p8KT1OexyQ
— Donnie Cope (@dcopechatter) January 27, 2026
According to various fact-checkers, Pretti’s parents never said that he quit his nursing/hospital job and began displaying “unusual behavior.”
The website that initially made the claim “is associated with a spam factory based in Vietnam that uses AI tools to target Americans and Europeans with fake clickbait,” as confirmed by Lead Stories.
What is known for certain is that Pretti was a full-fledged, brainwashed-to-the-max leftist who was obsessed with the usual crap.
Case in point via the AP: “Pretti’s mother said her son cared immensely about the direction the country was headed, especially the Trump administration’s rollback of environmental regulations.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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