Family Of Suspect Killed By Police In West Hartford Files Suit

WEST HARTFORD, CT — A year after a car theft suspect was shot and killed by police in a dramatic incident in a busy business district, the suspect's family is suing the West Hartford Police Department for millions of dollars.

The family of Mike Alexander-Garcia, who was shot and killed by police on Aug. 8, 2023, has filed a civil suit seeking about $75 million in damages.

Filed Aug. 7 in Hartford Superior Court, the plaintiff is identified as Jacqueline Garcia of Willimantic, Alexander-Garcia's mother and the administrator of his estate.

The lawsuit contends that WHPD officer Andrew Teeter was negligent and didn't follow proper police protocols when the canine officer chased Alexander-Garcia after a stolen vehicle pursuit and crash.

Teeter, according to state investigators, eventually shot and killed the 34-year-old suspect while in a vehicle inside a Town Fair Tire garage at 980 New Britain Ave. that day.

The Connecticut Office of the Inspector General's office is still investigating the matter.

According to the lawsuit, the defendants are listed as Teeter, the Town of West Hartford, and the WHPD.

Shortly after the incident, the IG's office released a detailed chronology of that day's events in a busy commercial district.

According to the report, at about 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, West Hartford police were attempting to stop a stolen Hyundai Elantra traveling east on New Britain Avenue.

At the New Britain Avenue/South Street intersection, the stolen Hyundai hit a silver BMW and a blue Honda Pilot, disabling the Hyundai, state officials wrote in the report.

According to investigators, the two occupants of the stolen vehicle, Lyle Solsbury, 46, and Alexander-Garcia, exited the Hyundai and fled.

Solsbury was immediately apprehended by police, with Alexander-Garcia fleeing east on foot on New Britain Avenue, authorities wrote.

In the report, the state alleges Alexander-Garcia unsuccessfully tried to carjack two vehicles, eventually making his way to the Town Fair Tire business.

State authorities said Alexander-Garcia entered the Town Fair Tire garage and entered the driver's side of a Toyota Rav4 vehicle being serviced there.

Shortly after, Teeter and his police dog entered the garage and the passenger side of the vehicle and attempted to subdue Alexander-Garcia, according to state officials.

It was during this altercation when Teeter was seen on body camera footage shouting at Alexander-Garcia and, then, threatening to shoot him shortly before pulling the trigger.

The fleeing Toyota with a wounded Alexander-Garcia behind the wheel ended up crashing across the street into a utility pole, near the intersection of New Britain Avenue and Shield Street, officials said.

Authorities said Teeter sustained a broken rib and multiple head lacerations and was taken to the hospital. The police dog was unharmed.

Alexander-Garcia was taken to Hartford Hospital and pronounced dead at 5:53 p.m. that afternoon, according to the report.

Tuesday, the law firm of BBB Attorneys out of Stratford unveiled details of the lawsuit, which is 66 pages long.

The family is being represented by attorney Peter Bowman, a partner at BBB, and Ken Krayeske, a civil rights attorney at BBB.

According to BBB, Teeter was "negligent, reckless, and intentional in his killing of Alexander-Garcia."

BBB officials said they're filing the lawsuit under the Police Accountability Act, alleging the killing of Alexander-Garcia violated his constitutional rights.

The act, BBB said, was "passed in 2020 in response to the death of George Floyd and others and it holds police officers, police departments and municipalities responsible for their violations of civil rights, including the improper use of deadly force."

In addition, the family is seeking a probe by the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, alleging the WHPD has a history of racial profiling since, "at least, 2017."

The Town of West Hartford and its corporatoin counsel, Dallas Dodge, said the lawsuit contains "unproven allegations" and noted the incident is still being investigated by the Connecticut IG's office.

“West Hartford is committed to police accountability and transparency," said Dodge in a statement Wednesday.

"A lawsuit at this stage contains unproven allegations, and it is important to note that this matter is still under investigation by the Office of Inspector General, the independent state office responsible for reviewing the deadly use of force by police.

"The Inspector General is tasked with conducting a thorough and impartial review of the facts, and we await the issuance of a final report.”

For the full, 66-page lawsuit filed by the estate of Mike Alexander-Garcia, click on this link.

From Aug. 11, 2023: 'WATCH: Chaotic Scene At WeHa Officer-Involved Shooting'