In the aftermath of Alex Pretti's fatal shooting on Nicollet Avenue in south Minneapolis, federal immigration agents brutally attacked a civilian who witnessed the crime. Clayton Kelly, a 37-year-old nurse, was thrown to the ground and pepper-sprayed while being detained by ICE agents.
Kelly, along with his wife Alana Ericson, had arrived at the scene shortly after Pretti's killing. They wanted only to observe the area, but were met with a wave of federal agents flooding the scene. As Kelly told The Intercept, a federal agent yelled "That's him. Get him" as he began to chase Kelly.
Ten days earlier, Kelly had watched in horror as an immigration agent shot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg during a federal enforcement action in north Minneapolis. Kelly's account contradicted the official narrative released by the Department of Homeland Security, which claimed that Sosa-Celis was being detained for immigration violations.
At the scene of Pretti's killing, Kelly and his wife tried to leave, but were tackled to the ground and pepper-sprayed. Kelly, who has a pre-existing medical condition requiring fusion surgery on his thoracic spine, was subjected to a violent beating by multiple agents. He said that one agent placed his knee directly on Kelly's surgical wounds, causing him immense pain.
Kelly was detained for several hours before being released, but not before his phone was confiscated and he was accused of resisting arrest. Despite having no medical care upon arrival at the detention center, where he suffered visible injuries, including a fractured shoulder and severe burns from pepper spray.
In Kelly's case, it raises serious questions about retaliation against civilians who witness or document federal activity. A federal judge has already issued a limited injunction barring agents from retaliating against peaceful protesters and observers.
The Intercept spoke to an independent eyewitness who corroborated Kelly's account of the arrest. The same eyewitness was also attacked by ICE agents and sustained a fractured shoulder, requiring surgery and months of physical therapy.
Kelly fears retaliation following his detention, as does his wife Ericson. "I've been having nightmares," she said. "This doesn't feel like real life. It feels like a really bad dream that I can’t wake up from."
In December 2025, a group of Minnesota residents and the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a federal class-action lawsuit alleging excessive force, intimidation, and arrests by federal agents participating in Operation Metro Surge.
The Intercept reached out to DHS, CBP, and ICE with detailed questions about the use of force by federal agents, detention and processing of civilians, seizure of phones and other personal property, and policies governing crowd control. The agencies did not provide responses by publication time.
As the investigation into Kelly's arrest continues, one thing is clear: the line between law enforcement and vigilantism has become increasingly blurred in recent years.
Kelly, along with his wife Alana Ericson, had arrived at the scene shortly after Pretti's killing. They wanted only to observe the area, but were met with a wave of federal agents flooding the scene. As Kelly told The Intercept, a federal agent yelled "That's him. Get him" as he began to chase Kelly.
Ten days earlier, Kelly had watched in horror as an immigration agent shot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg during a federal enforcement action in north Minneapolis. Kelly's account contradicted the official narrative released by the Department of Homeland Security, which claimed that Sosa-Celis was being detained for immigration violations.
At the scene of Pretti's killing, Kelly and his wife tried to leave, but were tackled to the ground and pepper-sprayed. Kelly, who has a pre-existing medical condition requiring fusion surgery on his thoracic spine, was subjected to a violent beating by multiple agents. He said that one agent placed his knee directly on Kelly's surgical wounds, causing him immense pain.
Kelly was detained for several hours before being released, but not before his phone was confiscated and he was accused of resisting arrest. Despite having no medical care upon arrival at the detention center, where he suffered visible injuries, including a fractured shoulder and severe burns from pepper spray.
In Kelly's case, it raises serious questions about retaliation against civilians who witness or document federal activity. A federal judge has already issued a limited injunction barring agents from retaliating against peaceful protesters and observers.
The Intercept spoke to an independent eyewitness who corroborated Kelly's account of the arrest. The same eyewitness was also attacked by ICE agents and sustained a fractured shoulder, requiring surgery and months of physical therapy.
Kelly fears retaliation following his detention, as does his wife Ericson. "I've been having nightmares," she said. "This doesn't feel like real life. It feels like a really bad dream that I can’t wake up from."
In December 2025, a group of Minnesota residents and the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a federal class-action lawsuit alleging excessive force, intimidation, and arrests by federal agents participating in Operation Metro Surge.
The Intercept reached out to DHS, CBP, and ICE with detailed questions about the use of force by federal agents, detention and processing of civilians, seizure of phones and other personal property, and policies governing crowd control. The agencies did not provide responses by publication time.
As the investigation into Kelly's arrest continues, one thing is clear: the line between law enforcement and vigilantism has become increasingly blurred in recent years.
! Like, who needs training when you've got guns and pepper spray? 
Clayton Kelly was just trying to be a good Samaritan and now he's got a bunch of injuries 
and PTSD 
. I mean, we already knew ICE was corrupt, but this is like, wow 
. The fact that they can't even tell the difference between a witness and someone who needs to get arrested 
speaks volumes about their so-called "training". 
. 
. The fact that a federal judge had to issue an injunction against ICE for retaliation against peaceful protesters and observers 
says a lot about the agency's behavior. I mean, we're not even talking about protesters here, just someone who happened to witness a crime scene 
.
In 2025, there were over 1,300 reported cases of police misconduct in Minneapolis alone 
! It's like, what are we going to do to stop it? 
That's like, half the population of the United States! 
This is super concerning! 
No one deserves to be pepper-sprayed and beaten just because they're a civilian who happens to have witnessed something. And the fact that his phone was confiscated and he was accused of resisting arrest? 
That's just ridiculous.
This is why we need more transparency and accountability from our law enforcement agencies! 
we need more transparency and accountability from these agencies so that people like clayton can feel safe and protected. 
. This case is just another example of how corrupt and out of control our immigration system has become. We need real accountability here, not just empty promises from DHS 
i dont believe a single word from any government source, where are their sources? who investigated these agents? 
ICE is basically a gang that runs amok in the streets, no accountability at all 
.
.
It sounds like a setup to me. And the fact that his wife was attacked too is no coincidence 
. This isn't about a misunderstanding or a bad encounter - it's clear there was intimidation and retaliation involved.
It's just common sense that if someone's already injured, you wouldn't add more harm to them.
.
. And yet, they still decided to beat him up and pepper spray him for no reason 
. That's not normal, and we need to make sure that our justice system isn't causing unnecessary trauma for people who are just trying to do the right thing 
.
.
I mean, what even happens next? 
Do they just start beating people on the street for no reason too? 
. We need to create systems that protect our citizens, not just follow orders without questioning 
.
. It's time for change 
. We need to create a system where civilians can document and report incidents without fear of retaliation or retribution 
.