Suit filed over Border Patrol chase death
The parents of a man who died when his car burst into flames during a Border Patrol chase in San Diego County is suing the government for wrongful death.
Twenty-five-year-old Alex Martin of Texas died in March of 2012. Authorities say Border Patrol agents saw him driving the wrong way on Interstate 8 near Pine Valley and gave chase.
A spike strip blew the car tires when it left the Interstate. An agent fired a Taser electrical stun gun into the car, which exploded in flames.
U-T San Diego says the lawsuit, filed Friday, argues the Taser shouldn’t have been used because there was a chance of flammable fumes being present.
The paper says a U.S. Department of Justice spokesman declined to comment on the suit.
