An off-duty Border Patrol agent who opened fire in a busy Chula Vista shopping center parking lot told investigators he feared for his safety and the safety of pedestrians in the path of a shoplifting suspect’s vehicle.
The agent, identified as Anthony Arocho, fired his duty handgun just after 11 a.m. Tuesday in the Telegraph Canyon Road strip mall that includes a Vons, McDonald’s and Starbucks among other retail stores.
Arocho, a 2-year-veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol, told investigators he saw a man running through the parking lot followed by two women who were yelling that the man had just stolen something from the Rite Aid store.
The suspect jumped into a vehicle parked outside the store. Officials say there were two other men, a woman and a child in the vehicle at the time.
According to the update released Wednesday, Arocho told investigators the vehicle backed up and nearly struck him.
Out of uniform, Arocho said he pulled out his duty handgun and identified himself as Border Patrol and told the people in the car to stop, officials said.
Soon after the suspect’s car drove forward, Arocho fired two shots.
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Late Tuesday night, officers recovered the car from outside a home on 44th Street in Chollas View. Investigators said there were two bullet holes in the car that appeared to be filled with putty and covered by spray paint.
Arocho told police he was worried the car would hit a group of pedestrians, so he fired two shots at the car.
No one in the car was injured according to people living in the home where the suspect’s vehicle was found.
Arocho was not injured.
No one has been arrested in connection to the shooting.
Surveillance video from inside the Rite-Aid may help officials identify the shoplifting suspects.
Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to call the Chula Vista Police Department at 619-691-5151.
