Southern Californian protesters joined others nationwide on Saturday Jan. 24, to express shock, sorrow and outrage after a man was shot and killed earlier that day during an altercation with federal immigration officers in Minneapolis.
About 70 people gathered around 5 p.m. at Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights to protest Alex Pretti’s death, which was recorded on video and shared on social media.
Protesters waved signs with slogans like “Justice for all those murdered by ICE, “ICE out of LA. ICE out of Boyle Heights,” “Justice for Alex,” and “Legalization for All.” A shrine to Petti on Mariachi Plaza included flowers, crosses and candles.
Dozens of cars honked in response to the protesters with passengers leaning out the windows to join in the chanting.
Speakers at the Boyle Heights demonstration encouraged those gathered to organize and fight for immigrant rights. One speaker, Carlos Montes with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, blasted President Donald Trump.
“The federal government is out of whack because of the racist Trump reactionary agenda,” he said.
“A lot of you are very young,” Montes added. “You can commit yourself to justice… to revolution.”
The crowds cheered, shouting “long live the revolution!”
Shortly after 5 p.m., Los Angeles police posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that a protest march “stopped on Los Angeles St between Aliso and Temple blocking all lanes of southbound traffic.”
“Please use alternate route and avoid the area,” the post added. A later post indicated the protest had moved to the northbound lanes of Los Angeles Street.
A 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse at a Veterans Administration hospital, Pretti, a U.S. citizen, was protesting President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in his city.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that federal officers were conducting an operation and fired “defensive shots” after a man with a handgun approached them and “violently resisted” when officers tried to disarm him.
In bystander videos of the shooting that emerged soon after, Pretti is seen with a phone in his hand but none appear to show him with a visible weapon.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said police believe the man was a “lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.”
Pretti was shot just over a mile from where an ICE officer shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good on Jan. 7, sparking widespread protests
In addition to demonstrations in LA and Santa Ana on Saturday, protests also are planned for Sunday, Jan. 25 in Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
This is a developing story. Please check back for more.