Claims allege false ALPR match led to police shooting

A 19-year-old San Diego man alleges that he was driving to work in his boss’ car when an automated license plate reader identified the car as stolen.

Within five minutes, an SDPD officer approached the car head on, told the driver and passenger to put their hands up, then fired his service weapon into the passenger-side window, according to two legal claims and surveillance footage, as our Dorian Hargrove and Tessa Balc report . The bullet hit the man, Jorge Luis Soto, in his left shoulder.

The man’s boss says he never reported the car stollen, and his employee was in lawful possession of it at the time of the police stop and subsequent shooting.

An SDPD spokesperson said the stolen vehicle alert that matched with the car originated with the FBI’s National Crime Information Center.

Soto, in a tort claim that is a precursor to a lawsuit, says Officer Ricardo Zambrano violated department policy by firing into the car, and violated his civil rights by shooting him without cause.