Federal agents brutally attacked and detained a man who witnessed an earlier shooting, sparking allegations of retaliation against those speaking out.
Clayton Kelly, a U.S. citizen with a history of medical conditions, was arrested by federal authorities in Minneapolis for allegedly witnessing the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse. Video footage obtained by The Intercept corroborates Kelly's account.
Kelly had previously witnessed an immigration agent shoot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg during a federal enforcement action. In December, a group of Minnesota residents and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump, claiming that federal agents used excessive force to deter civilians from observing or protesting immigration enforcement.
Kelly told investigators that after witnessing Pretti's killing, an agent began chasing him, saying "That's him. Get him." Kelly was then pinned to the ground by multiple agents and pepper-sprayed in the face.
"He was screaming that he couldn't breathe," Alana Ericson, Kelly's wife, said. "An agent pushed the pepper spray nozzle right into his left eye and sprayed."
Kelly sustained serious injuries, including burns to his left eye and deep indentations on both wrists. He estimated being detained for eight hours before being released.
The Intercept has learned that federal officials told detainees they were considering charges of assaulting or interfering with federal officers. Kelly's attorney said the statute is often interpreted broadly, but verbal objections alone do not meet its standard.
Kelly fears retaliation following his detention and has been experiencing nightmares. His wife described feeling like he was already on their radar after speaking out about the shooting.
In a related development, the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to The Intercept's detailed questions about the use of force by federal agents in Minneapolis, the detention and processing of civilians, the seizure of phones and other personal property, or policies governing crowd control.
Clayton Kelly, a U.S. citizen with a history of medical conditions, was arrested by federal authorities in Minneapolis for allegedly witnessing the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse. Video footage obtained by The Intercept corroborates Kelly's account.
Kelly had previously witnessed an immigration agent shoot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg during a federal enforcement action. In December, a group of Minnesota residents and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump, claiming that federal agents used excessive force to deter civilians from observing or protesting immigration enforcement.
Kelly told investigators that after witnessing Pretti's killing, an agent began chasing him, saying "That's him. Get him." Kelly was then pinned to the ground by multiple agents and pepper-sprayed in the face.
"He was screaming that he couldn't breathe," Alana Ericson, Kelly's wife, said. "An agent pushed the pepper spray nozzle right into his left eye and sprayed."
Kelly sustained serious injuries, including burns to his left eye and deep indentations on both wrists. He estimated being detained for eight hours before being released.
The Intercept has learned that federal officials told detainees they were considering charges of assaulting or interfering with federal officers. Kelly's attorney said the statute is often interpreted broadly, but verbal objections alone do not meet its standard.
Kelly fears retaliation following his detention and has been experiencing nightmares. His wife described feeling like he was already on their radar after speaking out about the shooting.
In a related development, the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to The Intercept's detailed questions about the use of force by federal agents in Minneapolis, the detention and processing of civilians, the seizure of phones and other personal property, or policies governing crowd control.
... wait, no I am, because that's exactly what he should have expected if he's gonna go around speaking out about these issues 
. But at the same time, can we really blame him? He did witness something horrific and now he's paying the price 
. I mean, on the other hand, maybe his whole thing was just a setup to get back at the people who spoke out against Trump in the first place 
. Ugh, my head is spinning! 
... like I don't even know where to start with this one. The fact that they're trying to silence people who are just reporting what they saw is ridiculous. Like, if you've witnessed something horrific, shouldn't you be able to speak out about it without being attacked? It's not like he was some kind of activist or anything, he was just a witness... and now his life is basically ruined because of this 
. And can we talk about the lack of accountability from these federal agents? They're just getting away with this kind of behavior and it's so infuriating... where's the oversight? Where's the justice?
This is getting outta hand 
Kelly's just trying to tell his story, and now he's being used as an example... 
those federal agents are supposed to be enforcing laws not intimidating people into silence 
the fact that Kelly was pepper sprayed in the face and almost lost his eye is just horrific 
I'm so sorry to hear he's been experiencing nightmares and feeling like a target because of speaking out 
. it feels like they're trying to silence people who speak out against their actions.
. verbal objections should be protected as a right, you know? and it's even more worrying when you think about all these other cases where people have been detained for speaking out against federal agents... it's like they're trying to create a culture of fear.
.
This is so messed up! I mean, a guy just witnessed a shooting and then gets attacked by federal agents because they think he's some kinda whistleblower? It's like, what even is that? 
. What kind of system are we living in where federal agents can just bully people into silence? 
Can't the Department of Homeland Security even respond to questions about their own actions? 
It's like they're hiding something and don't want us to know what really goes on. This is getting out of hand...