Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Liquored up Border Patrolmen have disagreement

A bloody one, after a union meeting, in the parking lot of the Hanalei

Portion of police report
Portion of police report

A Border Patrol union meeting on June 9 ended in a parking-lot brawl, a police report, and a series of requests for temporary restraining orders among current and former officials in the union.

On Tuesday (June 30), all five federal agents went to court in Chula Vista and agreed to dismiss the restraining order requests they’d filed against each other.

Border Patrol officials confirmed that those involved could face disciplinary measures and even firing, but it was pointed out that all the events occurred while the agents were off-duty.

The conflict erupted after the June 9 meeting held at the Hanalei Crowne Plaza in Mission Valley. Food and beverages, including alcohol, were served “in order to foster a sense of brotherhood and boost morale,” according to Thomas Ward’s account of the evening.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Former Local 1613 president James Harlan was the first to file for restraining orders against Thomas Ward and Robert Lopez, on June 12.

According to the affidavit with the filing, Harlan was at the meeting to appeal the newly elected leadership’s decision to fire him as a union representative. He lost the appeal.

After the meeting, Harlan, Everlyn Prado, and Samir Kourda — Harlan’s allies — adjourned to the hotel bar. Ward, newly elected 2nd vice president, and Robert Lopez, the 1st vice president of the local, were also in the bar.

According to the affidavits, the meeting beverage service wrapped up by 10 or 10:30 and they left the bar at 11. Once the men got to the parking lot, tempers flared. Each side declares under oath that the others were drunk and obnoxious.

“They were staring at us with angry, intimidating looks on their faces,” Harlan avers in his filing. “I did not respond to their looks, but I was troubled by their presence because both men have a long history of threatening me with violence.”

According to Lopez (who, along with Ward, filed for a counter–restraining order against Harlan, Prado, and Kourda), Prado allegedly left the bar without paying up. After Ward and Lopez settled up, they went out to the parking lot and the three followed them out, Harlan “shouting expletives” at them.

“I told Harlan something to the effect of me being done with Harlan’s grandstanding, his lies, him stealing from the union and making a mockery of the union,” says Lopez. Then, he says, Harlan charged him and he was forced to punch Harlan. “We continued to exchange blows until Harlan went to the ground.”

Ward, along with Harlan allies Prado and Kourda, decided not to fight. San Diego police showed up and took a report after Ward and Lopez had left, noting the reporting parties “had been drinking.”

No one was arrested or charged. Harlan and Ward reported injuries. Harlan sustained a bloody nose and bruises all over his head, neck, back, and arms. Ward took a punch to the head that left him with a contusion and he scraped his elbows and knees.

In response to Harlan’s restraining-order requests against Lopez and Ward, both sought restraining orders against Harlan, Kourda, and Prado — initiating a total of six court cases and a stack of affidavits.

All of which meant that the federal agents had to surrender their guns at Border Patrol stations. The files note the federal agents’ duty weapons among an impressive collection of guns, all of which will be returned now that the restraining orders have not been issued and the cases dismissed.

“The judge felt this wasn’t a civil matter — that it belonged in criminal court or being handled by their own agencies,” a courtroom insider said.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Victorian Christmas Tours, Jingle Bell Cruises

Events December 22-December 25, 2024
Next Article

Live Five: Rebecca Jade, Stoney B. Blues, Manzanita Blues, Blame Betty, Marujah

Holiday music, blues, rockabilly, and record releases in Carlsbad, San Carlos, Little Italy, downtown
Portion of police report
Portion of police report

A Border Patrol union meeting on June 9 ended in a parking-lot brawl, a police report, and a series of requests for temporary restraining orders among current and former officials in the union.

On Tuesday (June 30), all five federal agents went to court in Chula Vista and agreed to dismiss the restraining order requests they’d filed against each other.

Border Patrol officials confirmed that those involved could face disciplinary measures and even firing, but it was pointed out that all the events occurred while the agents were off-duty.

The conflict erupted after the June 9 meeting held at the Hanalei Crowne Plaza in Mission Valley. Food and beverages, including alcohol, were served “in order to foster a sense of brotherhood and boost morale,” according to Thomas Ward’s account of the evening.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Former Local 1613 president James Harlan was the first to file for restraining orders against Thomas Ward and Robert Lopez, on June 12.

According to the affidavit with the filing, Harlan was at the meeting to appeal the newly elected leadership’s decision to fire him as a union representative. He lost the appeal.

After the meeting, Harlan, Everlyn Prado, and Samir Kourda — Harlan’s allies — adjourned to the hotel bar. Ward, newly elected 2nd vice president, and Robert Lopez, the 1st vice president of the local, were also in the bar.

According to the affidavits, the meeting beverage service wrapped up by 10 or 10:30 and they left the bar at 11. Once the men got to the parking lot, tempers flared. Each side declares under oath that the others were drunk and obnoxious.

“They were staring at us with angry, intimidating looks on their faces,” Harlan avers in his filing. “I did not respond to their looks, but I was troubled by their presence because both men have a long history of threatening me with violence.”

According to Lopez (who, along with Ward, filed for a counter–restraining order against Harlan, Prado, and Kourda), Prado allegedly left the bar without paying up. After Ward and Lopez settled up, they went out to the parking lot and the three followed them out, Harlan “shouting expletives” at them.

“I told Harlan something to the effect of me being done with Harlan’s grandstanding, his lies, him stealing from the union and making a mockery of the union,” says Lopez. Then, he says, Harlan charged him and he was forced to punch Harlan. “We continued to exchange blows until Harlan went to the ground.”

Ward, along with Harlan allies Prado and Kourda, decided not to fight. San Diego police showed up and took a report after Ward and Lopez had left, noting the reporting parties “had been drinking.”

No one was arrested or charged. Harlan and Ward reported injuries. Harlan sustained a bloody nose and bruises all over his head, neck, back, and arms. Ward took a punch to the head that left him with a contusion and he scraped his elbows and knees.

In response to Harlan’s restraining-order requests against Lopez and Ward, both sought restraining orders against Harlan, Kourda, and Prado — initiating a total of six court cases and a stack of affidavits.

All of which meant that the federal agents had to surrender their guns at Border Patrol stations. The files note the federal agents’ duty weapons among an impressive collection of guns, all of which will be returned now that the restraining orders have not been issued and the cases dismissed.

“The judge felt this wasn’t a civil matter — that it belonged in criminal court or being handled by their own agencies,” a courtroom insider said.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Big kited bluefin on the Red Rooster III

Lake fishing heating up as the weather cools
Next Article

Reader writer Chris Ahrens tells the story of Windansea

The shack is a landmark declaring, “The best break in the area is out there.”
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader