Family Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against BP Agent

The family of a 32-year-old woman shot and killed by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent in Chula Vista has filed a wrongful death suit.

Valeria Alvarado was shot 9 times in September 2012.

The Chula Vista police department said Alvarado was inside a home on Moss Street when a group of agents came to the door to arrest a prior deported felon.

Police said she left the apartment and tried to drive away, which is border protection agent Justin Thackett was struck by her car.

According to a report released by the Medical Examiner’s office, Alvarado hit Thackett with her car and then tried to drive away with him clinging to the hood, after she allegedly disobeyed a police order and tried to flee from an enforcement operation.

The Medical Examiner’s report said Thackett held onto the car, drew his Smith and Wesson pistol, and fired the 10 shots into the vehicle.

The report also stated Alvarado had a methamphetamine level of .10 in her blood.

An NBC 7 Investigation found that Thackett has a history of job misconduct including allegations he failed to follow proper procedures of arrest as an Imperial County sheriff’s deputy.

The family filed the lawsuit today, and the family’s lawyer Eugene Iredale said the position of the agent on the car brings up questions.

“One could infer that he would have needed medical assistance. That there would have been some injury,” Iredale said. “That a car, even though this was a little car but little cars weigh 2,000-3,000 pounds he would have required immediate medical assistance, he was fine.”

Alvarado’s family protested the alleged brutality earlier this year. She is survived by her five children.