A federal agent's knee drove into the back of Clayton Kelly, sending him tumbling face-first onto the sidewalk as he lay helpless on Nicollet Avenue in south Minneapolis. The brutal scene unfolded less than 40 minutes after Alex Pretti was shot and killed by an immigration agent, sparking outrage and calls for accountability.
Kelly, a witness to Pretti's killing, had previously encountered federal agents during a similar operation just ten days prior, when he watched as an immigration agent shot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg. The incident has raised questions about the use of force by federal agents in Minneapolis, particularly in relation to immigration enforcement.
According to Kelly's account, he and his wife Alana Ericson had arrived at Nicollet Avenue where Pretti was killed, intending to observe the scene from a distance. However, federal agents quickly moved in, shouting "That's him. Get him" as they chased after Kelly, pinning him to the ground and deploying pepper spray into his left eye.
Kelly, who had undergone fusion surgery on his thoracic spine just months earlier, said he was unable to breathe and felt his limbs go limp beneath the weight of multiple agents on top of him. He was eventually handcuffed and dragged away in a vehicle, where he was detained for several hours without medical attention or explanation.
The incident has sparked concerns about retaliation against civilians who witness federal activities, particularly those who speak out against immigration enforcement. A federal class-action lawsuit, Tincher v. Noem, alleges that federal agents used excessive force, intimidation, and arrests to deter civilians from observing or protesting immigration enforcement.
As Kelly and his wife struggle to come to terms with the aftermath of the incident, they are facing a daunting task: rebuilding their lives after being brutalized by federal agents. The emotional toll of the arrest has taken a significant impact on their well-being, leaving them with nightmares and feelings of fear and anxiety that linger long after their release from detention.
The Intercept is committed to holding those in power accountable for their actions and to amplifying the voices of marginalized communities who are most affected by federal policies. We need your help to continue this critical work. Will you consider supporting our journalism efforts?
Kelly, a witness to Pretti's killing, had previously encountered federal agents during a similar operation just ten days prior, when he watched as an immigration agent shot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg. The incident has raised questions about the use of force by federal agents in Minneapolis, particularly in relation to immigration enforcement.
According to Kelly's account, he and his wife Alana Ericson had arrived at Nicollet Avenue where Pretti was killed, intending to observe the scene from a distance. However, federal agents quickly moved in, shouting "That's him. Get him" as they chased after Kelly, pinning him to the ground and deploying pepper spray into his left eye.
Kelly, who had undergone fusion surgery on his thoracic spine just months earlier, said he was unable to breathe and felt his limbs go limp beneath the weight of multiple agents on top of him. He was eventually handcuffed and dragged away in a vehicle, where he was detained for several hours without medical attention or explanation.
The incident has sparked concerns about retaliation against civilians who witness federal activities, particularly those who speak out against immigration enforcement. A federal class-action lawsuit, Tincher v. Noem, alleges that federal agents used excessive force, intimidation, and arrests to deter civilians from observing or protesting immigration enforcement.
As Kelly and his wife struggle to come to terms with the aftermath of the incident, they are facing a daunting task: rebuilding their lives after being brutalized by federal agents. The emotional toll of the arrest has taken a significant impact on their well-being, leaving them with nightmares and feelings of fear and anxiety that linger long after their release from detention.
The Intercept is committed to holding those in power accountable for their actions and to amplifying the voices of marginalized communities who are most affected by federal policies. We need your help to continue this critical work. Will you consider supporting our journalism efforts?
My heart goes out to Clayton Kelly & his wife Alana, they're going through such a traumatic experience... witnessing their friend's murder & then being brutalized by the very agents meant to protect America 
. It's just not right! The government needs to take responsibility for these actions & make sure that citizens aren't intimidated or retaliated against for speaking out 
. We need more transparency & accountability in our law enforcement agencies, especially when it comes to immigration policies 
. Can we please do better?
This is just so messed up 
And now he and his wife are having to deal with PTSD, nightmares, and anxiety? It's like the system is designed to hurt people like them. We need to hold these agents accountable and make sure they're not getting away with this kind of abuse 
The fact that he was just a witness trying to observe and now he's traumatized is just heartbreaking. 
And can we talk about how messed up the system is when you're detained without medical attention? 
It's not like they even had the decency to explain what was happening to him. Unbelievable. 
I'm glad there's a class-action lawsuit going on, but it's just so frustrating that this has to happen in the first place. We need more accountability from our law enforcement and federal agents! 
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. We need to hold these agents accountable for their actions, but we also need to think about the emotional toll it takes on innocent civilians like them 
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. anyone who thinks this is okay needs to take a long hard look at their values. we need more accountability and transparency from these agencies, not less 
. It's not just the physical harm, it's the emotional toll too. And what really gets me is that there was no need for all that aggression, they should've just let him go 
. I'm glad the Intercept is speaking out on this, we need more voices like theirs calling out these kinds of abuses of power 
. But seriously, how can Kelly and his wife even rebuild their lives after going through something like this? It's just not right 
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the fact that his wife had to witness this too, it's just too much 
we need to see some serious changes in the way these agents are trained and held accountable. this is not only a matter of civil rights but also human dignity 
I remember when I was younger, we had a different way of dealing with problems - less violence, more reason. Nowadays it seems like they just wanna silence anyone who speaks out, even if it's just to report what they saw 
We need to stand up for people like him and Alana, who just wanted to witness a scene and were treated like they were the enemy 
And whats with the pepper spray? That sounds super painful 
. I got a headache from just reading about it 
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his thoracic spine surgery barely healed & now hes struggling 2 breathe again 
it's like they wanted him 2 suffer
they need to learn that their actions have consequences 
They're basically making a statement that civilians are just pawns to be used and discarded at their whim. And the fact that Kelly had to undergo fusion surgery just months before this happened? That's just cruel! 
we need more journalists and activists who are willing to take on the tough issues. but at the same time, we gotta support Kelly and his wife in any way we can. they're going through some serious trauma right now... 