“West Hartford Police Officer Shoots and Kills Car Theft Suspect in Dramatic Incident”

Connecticut state investigators have released footage of a West Hartford police officer fatally shooting a car theft suspect outside of a Town Fair Tire. The suspect has been identified as Mike Alexander-Garcia, and the officer involved in the shooting is K-9 officer Andrew Teeter. The incident occurred after police attempted to stop a stolen vehicle, and Alexander-Garcia tried to carjack two vehicles before entering the Town Fair Tire garage. Teeter and his police dog attempted to subdue Alexander-Garcia, but he managed to drive away and was shot multiple times by Teeter. Alexander-Garcia later died in the hospital. The investigation is ongoing. shooting-cop-suspect-identified” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Michael Lemanski reported

The Office of the Inspector General in Connecticut has released compelling footage of a West Hartford police officer fatally shooting a suspect involved in a car theft outside a Town Fair Tire store. The footage, consisting of five different angles, includes a particularly dramatic view of the officer’s actions. In addition to the video, state investigators have disclosed the identities of both the suspect, Mike Alexander-Garcia, a 34-year-old Hispanic male, and the officer involved, K-9 officer Andrew Teeter.

Although the investigation is still ongoing, state officials have provided a detailed account of the events that unfolded on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 8, in a busy commercial area of West Hartford. At approximately 5 p.m., local police attempted to stop a stolen Hyundai Elentra traveling east on New Britain Avenue. However, at the intersection of New Britain Avenue and South Street, the stolen vehicle collided with a silver BMW and a blue Honda Pilot, rendering it inoperable. Both Solsbury and Alexander-Garcia, the occupants of the stolen vehicle, immediately fled the scene.

While authorities swiftly apprehended Solsbury, Alexander-Garcia managed to escape and proceeded to attempt two unsuccessful carjackings before arriving at the Town Fair Tire premises on 980 New Britain Avenue. State officials revealed that he entered the garage and then got into the driver’s seat of a Toyota Rav4 that was being serviced. Shortly thereafter, officer Teeter, accompanied by his police dog, entered the garage from the passenger side in an attempt to subdue Alexander-Garcia.

Despite the struggle inside the vehicle, Alexander-Garcia managed to reverse out of the garage, colliding with two vehicles, including the police vehicle occupied by Teeter and his dog. The Office of the Inspector General stated, “As Alexander-Garcia continued to drive, Officer Teeter discharged his weapon multiple times, striking Alexander-Garcia in the torso.” The Toyota ultimately crashed into a utility pole across the street near the intersection of New Britain Avenue and Shield Street.

Officer Teeter sustained a broken rib and multiple head lacerations during the incident and was promptly taken to the hospital. Fortunately, the police dog remained unharmed. Alexander-Garcia, however, was transported to Hartford Hospital but was pronounced dead at 5:53 p.m. that same day. The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and the Office of the Inspector General has made the preliminary report available for further review..