Newly surfaced videos appear to show Alex Pretti spitting toward a federal vehicle and kicking off its taillight during a Minneapolis protest on Jan. 13 ā 11 days before he was shot and killed by federal officers, as questions grow over how the earlier clash relates to the fatal encounter.
The footage, published online and spreading widely, was recorded by The News Movement and shows a man in winter clothing spitting at a vehicle with emergency lights before delivering kicks that leave the right taillight broken and dangling, the YouTube video shows. Agents then exit, grab the man, and tackle him.
What the video shows:
ā¢ A dark SUV with flashing red-and-blue lights is moving slowly as a crowd stands nearby, yelling and reacting.
ā¢ One man steps toward the vehicle and appears to spit in the direction of the driverās side as it rolls past.
ā¢ As the SUV continues forward, the man kicks at the right rear taillight. A second kick follows, and the red plastic breaks, leaving the taillight shattered and partly hanging.
ā¢ Almost immediately, the rear door of the SUV swings open. A masked, helmeted officer gets out and moves straight toward the man.
ā¢ The officer grabs the man by the front of his clothing and pulls him back toward the vehicle. The manās arms flail as he struggles.
ā¢ The officer drags him off balance and takes him down to the ground. Other similarly dressed officers rush in and surround the man as the scuffle continues for a few seconds.
ā¢ The man then breaks free (or is released) and moves away from the officers as the crowd continues shouting.
The video thatās circulating doesnāt show what led up to this confrontation. You donāt see why this crowd was gathered, what was being said before this, or how long these vehicles had been there. The video starts when things are already tense. An SUV moves forward, a man spits at this SUV, kicks its taillight, and agents jump out and tackle him.
The Associated Press reported that a person with knowledge of the incident confirmed the man in the Jan. 13 videos is Pretti. AP said that when the man turns away from the camera, what appears to be a handgun is visible in his waistband, though the videos do not show him reaching for the gun and it is unclear whether agents saw it.
Pretti, 37, an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, died Jan. 24 after being shot multiple times during a separate confrontation captured in bystander video. AP reported he was holding his phone when he was shot in the back while on the ground.
Homeland Security Investigations is reviewing the newly circulated videos,AP reported citing the Department of Homeland Security as saying. It is not known whether any of the officers in the Jan. 13 incident were also present during the Jan. 24 shooting.
Multiple outlets, including the Associated Press and NBC News, reported receiving a statement from Steve Schleicher, the attorney for Alex Prettiās family, arguing that the Jan. 13 confrontation could not justify the deadly shooting days later. āA week before Alex was gunned downā¦ he was violently assaulted,ā Schleicher said, adding that nothing from the earlier incident could excuse Prettiās killing on Jan. 24.
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