Alex Pretti was “known” to federal law enforcement before he was fatally shot, and had broken a rib during a physical altercation with ICE agents a week before he was killed by a Border Patrol official on Saturday, sources say.
Pretti “had a physical encounter with federal agents about a week before he was shot and killed by law enforcement,” CNN reported Tuesday.
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The incident unfolded after Pretti stopped his car upon observing ICE agents chasing a family on foot and got involved by “protesting their attempt to detain other individuals,” the outlet reported.
He was then tackled by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and later claimed that one of the officers had leaned on his back, leaving him with a broken rib.
“That day, he thought he was going to die,” the source told CNN, adding that Pretti had been released at the scene shortly after the altercation.
The source added that Pretti’s name was already known to federal agents by the time he was fatally shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Saturday.
It remains unclear, however, if the federal agents who encountered Pretti on Saturday knew or recognized him before the scuffle that ultimately led to the 37-year-old’s death.
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In its report, CNN noted that Pretti had “a gun” in his waistband during Saturday’s brawl.
As Breitbart News reported, the limited facts available at the time of Saturday’s fatal shooting of Pretti by a Border Patrol agent that so far have not been disputed indicate he was armed during the struggle that led up to the shooting.
Moreover, the CBP Use of Force policy is grounded in constitutional law, as interpreted by federal courts, and requires that any use of force be “objectively reasonable” based on the circumstances as the agent perceived them at the moment force was applied.
This standard is determined by what the agent knew or perceived when he pulled the trigger, not by public opinion influenced by politicians, nor by a retrospective, onerous review of video footage.
The policy states that anytime an agent has a reasonable belief a person “poses an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury to the agent or another person,” the primary hurdle to using deadly force is cleared and the action is authorized.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly warned of threats against federal agents during immigration enforcement operations.
“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,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told CNN.
“This is not groundbreaking, it is standard protocol,” McLaughlin added.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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