Report: Alex Pretti Was on Feds' Radar - Broke Rib in Clash With ICE Agents Week Before His Death

Alex Pretti reportedly suffered a broken rib about a week before his fatal shooting when federal agents tackled him after he tried to intervene in an immigration enforcement operation.

Sources tell CNN that Pretti stopped his car after spotting ICE agents chasing "a family on foot," and began shouting and blowing a whistle to intervene. They say this action prompted several agents to take him down.

Pretti allegedly told one source that "five agents tackled him and one leaned on his back – an encounter that left him with a broken rib."

“That day, he thought he was going to die,” the source said. CNN reports that medical records show he was treated in a manner consistent with a broken rib.

BREAKING - It’s now being confirmed by CNN that Alex Pretti, the man killed during an armed confrontation with CBP agents in Minneapolis, had been in a separate encounter with federal officers a week earlier resulting in a broken rib after obstructing them. pic.twitter.com/tsiwKYtKlp
— Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) January 27, 2026

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CNN, as you might suspect, framed its report as an indicator of how ICE was tracking protesters and that law enforcement was more aggressive in handling these agitators than previously thought.

"Pretti’s previous encounter is another reflection of the aggressive approach federal agents are taking with observers and protesters," they write.

But it also seems to indicate that Pretti himself was more aggressive than previously reported. You thought you were going to die, so you decided to get back out there within days and intervene in further operations? And this time, you brought a gun, signaling an intent to aggressively defend against a perceived threat.

NewsNation host Katie Pavlich echoes that sentiment.

"This changes a lot, including his intention to carry a gun into another confrontation with federal law enforcement," she said on X. "Lawful concealed carry holders do their best to walk away from a fight, not to walk into one."

"He had a pattern of impeding federal LEO operations," radio host Dana Loesch and staunch Second Amendment advocate added.

"He didn't just accidentally get involved on Saturday, he had a history of confrontation, of inserting himself into these situations, which makes it even dumber that he chose to up the ante by carrying while doing it."

This changes a lot, including his intention to carry a gun into another confrontation with federal law enforcement. Lawful concealed carry holders do their best to walk away from a fight, not to walk into one. https://t.co/74bpESiZ5p
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) January 27, 2026

If this report is confirmed, then it raises the question of whether Pretti was intent on escalating the next confrontation. Does that justify the law enforcement response? Not necessarily, and an investigation absolutely should delve into that matter.

But bringing a gun after getting tackled isn't consistent with the idea of de-escalation, whether he was "brandishing" it or not.

CNN's effort to frame the documentation of the incident, along with the tracking of other repeat protesters, as something ominous, is absurd.

"Federal immigration officers have been collecting personal information about protesters and agitators in Minneapolis, sources told CNN – and had documented details about Alex Pretti before he was shot to death on Saturday," they write.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin points out that this is a common-sense practice.

“When our law enforcement encounter a violent agitator who is breaking the law, obstructing law enforcement or assaulting them, our law enforcement make records to advance prosecution. This is not groundbreaking, it is standard protocol,” she told the network.

It's unclear whether the agent — part of the Border Patrol Tactical Unit — involved in the Pretti altercation was aware of who he was or knew of the previous confrontation with ICE agents when he encountered him a week later. Hopefully, an investigation will take all of this information into account.

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