Did Alex Peretti to kick out taillight
Executive summary
Yes — multiple independently reported and verified videos show Alex Pretti kicking and breaking the taillight of a federal agents’ SUV during a January 13 Minneapolis confrontation; the footage also shows him spitting and shouting at agents and being wrestled to the ground immediately afterward [1] [2] [3].
1. The footage and what it depicts
Short video clips published by The News Movement and reviewed by major outlets capture Pretti walking up to an unmarked government SUV, shouting and spitting toward agents, and then delivering at least two kicks to the rear corner of the vehicle that shatter the red plastic taillight and leave it dangling [2] [1] [4].
2. Verification, distribution and corroboration
The clips were circulated widely: CBS News and the BBC confirmed the footage was filmed in Minneapolis and authenticated the material; PBS, NBC, The New York Times and other outlets published the same scenes after verification, establishing the incident’s occurrence on Jan. 13 [5] [6] [3] [7] [1].
3. What happened next in the video and immediate consequences
The videos show federal agents quickly converging on Pretti after the taillight was damaged and forcefully bringing him to the ground amid crowd noise, horn honking and use of chemical irritants in the street; witnesses and a family representative said Pretti sustained injuries and the incident was later reported to be under internal review [2] [3] [7] [8].
4. How the footage is being used and interpreted by competing narratives
Protesters and Pretti’s family and counsel emphasize that the Jan. 13 altercation — while damaging property and confrontational — cannot justify the lethal shooting that occurred 11 days later, framing the video as context of prior abuse by immigration agents [8] [4]. Conversely, some conservative and tabloid outlets highlighted the footage to question Pretti’s conduct and character; mainstream commentators urged that the clip does not change central facts about whether force used later was lawful or necessary [9] [10].
5. Limits of the record and outstanding questions
The videos clearly show a taillight being kicked out and Pretti being tackled, but they do not resolve key questions: they do not document what precipitated the encounter moments earlier, whether the agents saw anything (such as a weapon) on Pretti at that time, or whether this Jan. 13 episode influenced later operational decisions; official reviews were reported to be underway and some agents were placed on leave, but public records of those internal findings were not available in the reporting [3] [5] [8].