January 13 video of alex pretti
Executive summary
A roughly two-minute bystander video published by The News Movement shows a man identified by his family as Alex Pretti in a January 13 confrontation with federal immigration officers in Minneapolis in which the man appears to kick a vehicle’s taillight, is shoved or tackled to the ground, and is then left as agents drive away; the footage surfaced publicly 11 days before Pretti was fatally shot on Jan. 24 [1] [2] [3]. Multiple mainstream outlets published and analyzed the clips, and the BBC has said the footage is authentic while media reporting and social posts have produced competing narratives about what preceded or justified the encounter [4] [2] [5].
1. What the January 13 video actually shows, frame by frame
The clip, recorded by The News Movement and circulated by several outlets, captures a man wearing a brown coat and black hat — whom family representatives and some reporters identify as Pretti — yelling at an unmarked federal vehicle, spitting at the window, then kicking the vehicle’s taillight as it moves away; an armed, tactical agent exits and appears to push or tackle the man to the ground while other officers crowd around, and chemical irritants are later deployed near onlookers [2] [1] [6] [7]. Reporters note the video does not show what led up to the interaction, and at no point in the Jan. 13 clip do bystander videos clearly show the man drawing a weapon or the agents firing [1] [3].
2. Authentication and media sourcing: who says it’s real
The News Movement posted the footage and performed a facial analysis asserting a high-probability match; the BBC publicly confirmed the viral clip’s authenticity, and major U.S. outlets including The New York Times, NBC, CBS and The Guardian published and described the same footage after reviewing it [4] [2] [7] [1] [6]. Local outlets and the Associated Press reported additional angles and corroborating eyewitness recordings, while some organizations cautioned that not every aspect of what preceded the recorded moments is visible on camera [8] [3].
3. How reporting, social posts and fact-checks diverge — and why it matters
Social posts quickly amplified different readings of the clip — some framed it as Pretti “attacking” agents and brandishing a weapon, while others emphasized that the earlier scuffle cannot justify his later killing; fact-checkers like BBC Verify simultaneously debunked unrelated false claims about Pretti (such as fabricated photos or employment rumors) even as they confirmed the Jan. 13 footage’s authenticity, illustrating a split between verified visual fact and rampant online misinterpretation [9] [5] [10]. Conservative and tabloid outlets have highlighted the moments of alleged aggression (taillight kick, spitting), prompting criticism that some broadcasters edited or framed the footage selectively — a dispute visible in coverage and on social platforms [11] [12].
4. Family, legal and advocacy reactions to the newly surfaced video
Pretti’s family and their attorney say the Jan. 13 encounter left him injured and did not receive medical care, and they argue that the earlier scuffle does not justify the fatal shooting on Jan. 24; attorney Steve Schleicher has publicly stated the prior incident in no way excuses the later use of lethal force [6] [7] [1]. Media quoting family representatives and legal counsel note the family had known about the Jan. 13 incident before its public release, and they have retained lawyers who are publicly contesting federal accountings of subsequent events [8] [3].
5. Official responses, open questions and investigative gaps
DHS and Border Patrol have acknowledged awareness of the Jan. 13 clip and are reviewing it according to reporting, but public accounts show that officials have not presented evidence tying the Jan. 13 encounter to the Jan. 24 shooting as justification; investigators and journalists stress crucial unknowns remain — chiefly what led to the Jan. 13 interaction off camera, whether officers detained Pretti that day, and whether agents on Jan. 24 had knowledge of the earlier clash [9] [6] [8]. Independent verification is limited to the footage and corroborating eyewitness recordings; reporting does not establish that Pretti reached for a weapon during the Jan. 13 video or that he was formally detained afterward [3] [2].
6. Why the Jan. 13 video matters for public understanding
The unearthed footage complicates but does not resolve questions about a chain of confrontations that culminated in Pretti’s death: it documents a prior, physical clash with federal agents that supporters say underscores a pattern of heavy-handed tactics, while critics use the same clip to argue Pretti behaved aggressively; the clip’s authenticated visuals therefore serve as evidence that must be weighed alongside witness accounts, agency records and investigators’ findings rather than as a standalone explanation for the later lethal encounter [7] [4] [1].