The family of Mike Alexander-Garcia, Jr., a Connecticut man who was fatally shot by authorities while he attempted to flee in a stolen car, is suing.
The lawsuit, filed in state court, blamed West Hartford police officer Andrew Teeter as well as the town and local police department for Alexander-Garcia’s death. It said Teeter violated multiple department policies as well as Alexander-Garcia’s constitutional rights under the state’s Police Accountability Act, which was passed after the death of George Floyd in 2020.
The family also called for “a U.S. Justice Department, Civil Rights Division investigation based on historical evidence of racial profiling by the West Hartford Police Department since at least 2017,” WTNH reported.
“To the officer who took my son’s life, you can’t comprehend the pain and loss you have inflicted on our family,” his mother, Jacqueline Garcia, said in a statement. “I hope that through this tragedy there can be reflection and change so that no other family endures the heartache we are experiencing.”
The deadly confrontation unfolded on Aug. 8, 2023, when officers spotted what they suspected to be a stolen Hyundai Elantra traveling east on New Britain Avenue near Westfarms Mall. After a failed attempt to initiate a traffic stop, authorities set up tire deflation devices in a bid to disable the vehicle, prompting it to flee, according to the lawsuit. The Hyundai then struck a silver BMW and a blue Honda Pilot, which ultimately left it disabled.
The pair of people inside the car — identified by the Office of Inspector General’s Office as Lyle Solsbury, 47, and Alexander-Garcia — then tried to evade authorities on foot. Solsbury, a convicted felon with multiple outstanding charges, was quickly apprehended.
Alexander-Garcia, meanwhile, attempted to steal two different vehicles before stopping at Town Fair Tire. Surveillance video from inside the garage shows the moment Teeter, a K9 officer, arrived. At that point Alexander-Garcia was trying to drive a RAV4 off the lot, though his escape was hindered by equipment set up behind the front wheels, according to the suit.
“As Alexander-Garcia continued to drive, Officer Teeter discharged his weapon multiple times striking Alexander-Garcia in the torso,” the Office of Inspector General said in a press release. “The Toyota crashed into a utility pole across the street from Town Fair Tire near the intersection of New Britain Avenue and Shield Street.”
Dash and bodycam footage have since been released by authorities.
According to the lawsuit, Teeter was not properly trained and “did not know what he was supposed to do” during his pursuit of Alexander-Garcia, which resulted in “further mistakes and decisions on his behalf that led to the death of Mike Alexander Garcia.”
With New Wire Services
