When did alex Pretti started protesting
Executive summary
Alex Pretti was publicly active in the wave of Minneapolis protests that erupted in January 2026 around federal immigration enforcement, with contemporaneous reporting showing him in a confrontation with federal agents on January 13, 2026 and again at the fatal encounter on January 24, 2026 [1] [2] [3]. Available mainstream reporting documents his protest presence and a prior scuffle in mid-January but does not establish when he first began protesting beyond that January timeline, leaving his earlier activism unconfirmed in the provided sources [1] [2].
1. Early January protests and the local context that drew people into the streets
Minneapolis had been convulsed by protests against federal immigration operations after the killing of Renée Good on January 7, 2026, and those demonstrations drew thousands and set the backdrop for subsequent actions that involved community members like Pretti [3] [4]. Coverage across outlets describes a heightened federal presence and community mobilization through mid-January, creating the conditions in which multiple people — including Pretti — were repeatedly present at protests challenging ICE and Border Patrol tactics [4] [5].
2. The documented January 13 confrontation: the first clear public record of Pretti at a protest
Video footage published and analyzed by outlets such as The Guardian and PBS show Alex Pretti being forcefully wrestled to the ground by federal agents during a Minneapolis protest on January 13, 2026 — eleven days before he was fatally shot — and reporters and legal representatives have cited those videos as evidence of his prior involvement that week [1] [2]. Those videos, widely reported, capture a physical scuffle in which officers subdue Pretti and note his possession of a licensed handgun when it becomes visible to officers in the melee [2].
3. The January 24 encounter and proliferation of protest activity afterward
On January 24, 2026, Pretti was shot and killed during a separate federal operation in Minneapolis, an event that immediately accelerated protests locally and nationally and led to widespread vigils, solidarity rides and demonstrations in multiple cities in the days that followed [3] [4] [6]. Photojournalism and on-the-ground reporting documented heavy federal deployments to control protests around Nicollet Avenue and nearby sites following the killing, underscoring that Pretti’s presence at protests in mid- to late‑January was part of an intense, ongoing protest cycle [5] [4].
4. Conflicting narratives, investigative follow-up, and what remains unknown
News organizations and advocacy groups have offered divergent interpretations of Pretti’s role at these events — federal officials and some commentators framed him as an active threat, while civil‑liberties organizations, local witnesses and lawyers stress the right to protest and the ambiguity in available footage [7] [8] [9]. The Department of Justice opened a civil‑rights investigation after the January 24 killing, and reporting highlights disputes over whether prior altercations justify the use of lethal force, but none of the provided sources trace Pretti’s protest history before the January 13 encounter, so the record stops short of answering when he began protesting in any broader or long-term sense [8] [1] [2].