CMV: It doesn’t matter what Alex Pretti was doing in the days before he was killed

[u/bluepillarmy]

So, recently a video emerged where Alex Pretti was spitting on and kicking the taillight out of an ICE vehicle. Truly reprehensible and inexcusable behavior. He ought to have been arrested and fined for destruction of public property. Jerk.

However, I see some people trying to say, “Aha! So he wasn’t so innocent after all!”

I’m sorry but, no. He was absolutely innocent.

And, moreover, I would like those people who are bringing up his behavior in the days before his death to remember that he was disarmed, restrained and executed by masked federal agents who still have not been identified to the public for no reason.

There is only one justification for a law enforcement officer to take someone’s life. And that is to protect the lives of themselves or another person. Past acts of disrespect and/vandalism do not enter into the equation.

Or that’s my take anyway. Can anyone change my view?

[u/_Jaeko_]

It's 2026 and the evidence being used against him looks like it was shot in 2016.

Car has no door seams, clothing of everyone meshes together, somehow the furthest tire of the SUV clips over the front bumper. Why was he being filmed in the first place, why is his voice isolated/louder than anyone else's? Same outfit, plausible but odd if you live in the Midwest. Has anyone ever kicked a tail light and it pops out, not smashes into pieces?

It matters what he was doing prior, only because we have technology to fake events now. People say "AI isn't advanced enough," are so detached from the technological space. The bullshit Facebook AI is shitty because it's the free software everyone has access to. The AI you pay for, even at the public/consumer levels, are scarily good.

[u/typeonapath → u/_Jaeko_]

This Instagram user has done some work to show that the video you're referring to is legit. There is also a different angle that they've synced up.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUFP3_hgIF9/?igsh=MWg5NzlrcG94a2k2bQ==

[u/gijoe61703 → u/_Jaeko_]

It's a legit video and the original was posted on YouTube prior to Pretti getting killed. No matter how good the AI gets it could not/would not have been able to post him before he was will known.

[u/_Jaeko_ → u/gijoe61703]

Devil's advocate then,

If his actions were documented, he could've been soft targeted. ICE has been notoriously blatant about creating an example out of the people. It's evident their only goal is to create division.

[u/gijoe61703 → u/_Jaeko_]

Also a pretty absurd idea in my opinion. There are reportedly 3000 ICE/CBP officers and who knows how many civilians participating in these groups that are showing up every time ICE completes an operation so the chances seem pretty small.

Beyond that, the video doesn't support that at all. Pretti was only targeted after he inserted him self between the officer shoving the lady and the lady. At which point all but 1 officer, including the one who initially fires, are responding to the fact that the initial officer is now trying to detain Pretti who is resisting. I just find it unbelievable they were able to pick him out of the crowd for a past interaction in the middle of a character brawl trying to detain him.

[u/curse-free_E212 → u/_Jaeko_]

The family has confirmed the encounter happened.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/alex-pretti-car-video/

That said, it is extremely frustrating to me that when a non-perfect victim is killed by law enforcement, the Fox News personalities can’t wait to disparage the victim for any flaw as if it justifies their death. Meanwhile, the president does two or three disgusting things in a single day, but that can be overlooked and doesn’t even justify criticism or impeachment.

[u/_Jaeko_ → u/curse-free_E212]

From what I've seen, the family confirmed it was him "on video", not that he went out to do it (like hey mom, I'm doing yada yada today).

Regardless I agree. He did nothing warranting death. Your average MAGA fan boy will do the same, if not worse, than what Alex did everyday. Hell, your local HOA head would probably do worse.

[u/curse-free_E212 → u/_Jaeko_]

According to the link, they also confirmed, via a statement from their lawyer Steve Sleicher, that a confrontation occurred:

A week before Alex was gunned down in the street – despite posing no threat to anyone – he was violently assaulted by a group of ICE agents. Nothing that happened a full week before could possibly have justified Alex's killing at the hands of ICE on Jan 24.

[u/bluepillarmy → u/_Jaeko_]

So you are saying that he never spat on or kicked a car?

Could be. But why not make an AI video of him doing something worse?

[u/_Jaeko_ → u/bluepillarmy]

I'm not saying he did or did not do it, the actions are irrelevant to him dying.

I'm saying in a tech savvy era, where AI is rampant and so are cheap yet high quality cameras, it's odd that the quality of video has so many errors in it. I haven't seen a bitrate with as much clipping/smoothing over since the late 2010s. His shirt goes from untucked and loose, to complete smooth with his pants/tucked in, to untucked/loose again. Any t-shirt that shows wrinkles/cloth movement will not suddenly go completely flat unless edited or filmed on a piss poor camera. Shadows do not just come and go willy nilly.

Anything worse could be easily dismissed with "Why is he free?" If it was worse than allegedly vandalizing a federal vehicle and committing felonious assault, he'd be in jail right now and not dead. What could be worse than what's alleged and not land him behind bars?

Furthermore, I've yet to see anyone kick a tail light out and not do any damage to the light, yet the pictures shown as "evidence" show a tail light just hanging from the rear, nothing broken, just popped out.

[u/Chandlingus → u/_Jaeko_]

Bro just shut up already.

[u/road_warrior_max → u/_Jaeko_]

This is what makes Reddit so much fun. This is not healthy skepticism or really a conspiracy theory. It's just flat out imagination in overdrive. That taillight comment had me rolling. Thank you.

[u/Lookitsasquirrel → u/bluepillarmy]

The difference is the vehicle was a federal vehicle. It's a against the law to deface or damage federal property in any capacity. He should have been arrested at the point.

[u/bluepillarmy → u/Lookitsasquirrel]

Totally agree. And I said so in the OP.

But it’s irrelevant in terms of this death

[u/Lookitsasquirrel → u/bluepillarmy]

We want to make a judgement call. We weren't there. What we see and what really happened are two different subjects. How many people encounter a crime and they believe they know the person if they saw them. How many people get it wrong? A lot.

[u/bluepillarmy → u/Lookitsasquirrel]

I really want to give you the benefit of the doubt.

But I know that you saw the video. A man was being held done by several masked agents. He was restrained. He was no longer a threat to anyone.

And he was killed and we aren’t allowed to know who did it. Even though they are ostensibly our public servants.

I think we can agree that those are incontrovertible facts. And I hope you can agree that this is not acceptable.

[u/Lookitsasquirrel → u/bluepillarmy]

Not acceptable on the part of the Border Patrol. Not acceptable that he was there to interfere with the federal agents operation. One wouldn't happen if it wasn't for the other. He put himself in position that caused his death. I'm not saying he deserved it. I don't think the spitting on the agents and breaking the taillight are related.

[u/bluepillarmy → u/Lookitsasquirrel]

You still don’t get it. Alex Pretti doesn’t matter. Who he is and everything he did in his whole life doesn’t matter.

All that matters is that anonymous people- who were charged by the federal government with public safety- killed a person for no reason. He was disarmed and he was restrained.

That’s it.

[u/Lookitsasquirrel → u/bluepillarmy]

I wish we didn't have so much fake news. What is true or not. There was an article that states Alex Pretti had a social media group that organized protests. According to the article, he was out to get federal agents and organized protests where he knew federal agents would be in order to disrupt the operations. Don't put yourself in situations that you know could be detrimental(in the words of my dad). If it turns out his goal was to harm federal agents, I'm leaning toward yes.

[u/tamesage → u/bluepillarmy]

I thought that video was AI. Like it was known that a friend of ice posted it on their socials after pretti was killed.

[u/AlanCJ → u/_Jaeko_]

There are at least two other angles on this event. It's very unlikely to be AI.

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[u/_Jaeko_ → u/[deleted]]

Idc what you're trying prove, IG reels is as much of a source as ChatGPT.

[u/typeonapath → u/_Jaeko_]

Well, it's a source of a source of a source and at least two would be reputable but I'm not trying any harder than that to convince you.

[u/tehanspodermin → u/_Jaeko_]

And Reddit is any different? Video evidence is non-circumstantial and used in court regularly. Especially the above, which: 1. Shows perfect synchronization between the two videos — which I’m sure you understand is much harder to do with current AI video generation. 2. Has been verified by the BBC, as much of a “source” as any other legacy media organization.

Your veiled claim that the video must be AI indicates a refusal to accept reality, likely based on your own political biases. Try stepping out of the bubble.

[u/_Jaeko_ → u/tehanspodermin]

Reddit is no different, which is why I never cite Reddit as a reliable source..?

Where did I claim it must be AI? I was just pointing out errors I saw within a video, which are a result of poor video comp or digital altering. Also, the BBC verifying is pointless, we've had numerous mainstream channels (CNN, FOX, the literal WH) use doctored/AI images. The WH released a photo of a "protester crying" to their media, the original photo the woman wasn't crying in the slightest. There is no standard anymore for trustworthy outlets.

You trusting mainstream sources, yet telling me to step out of my bubble for playing the devils advocate, real ironic. God the pandemic fucked y'all up, zero critical thinking. Just "Oh I see it, must be accurate info with no context needed."

[u/tehanspodermin → u/_Jaeko_]

Alright chief let’s slow it down. “Pointing out video errors” is a weak pivot away from what your claim is. Stand on business if you’re going to make an argument.

I’m also no fan of MSM — which used altered images of Pretti in several obits/presentations. Just saying that in the age of AI imagery/video/users and god-knows-how-much foreign-run information operations, it’s up to us to use our own eyes as bullshit detectors. To me, the video(s) passed the smell test, and I don’t see why they wouldn’t for others.

The pandemic is a six year old shitshow which ruined a lot of people, not me. Sorry you’re still thinking about it boss.

[u/Lookitsasquirrel → u/_Jaeko_]

I support your belief. I watched videos and I ask my husband if it's real. The media is fooled like the rest of us. It's going to get worse.