Executive Summary
- Sharon Garcia has sued Ohkay Laundromat owners and Pueblo Alliance LLC for wrongful death and negligence.
- The lawsuit alleges suspect Cesar Garcia harassed patrons for seven hours before fatally stabbing Anthony Velasquez.
- The complaint claims security personnel failed to respond to employee reports of the suspect’s threatening behavior.
- Cesar Garcia is also a person of interest in a double homicide in Taos that occurred the previous day.
The mother of a 32-year-old man fatally stabbed in February has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the owners of an Ohkay Owingeh laundromat and a security firm, alleging they failed to take necessary action to protect patrons from a known threat. The complaint, filed by Sharon Garcia in state District Court on November 20, asserts that the business owners and security personnel ignored hours of threatening behavior by the suspect prior to the death of her son, Anthony Velasquez.
The lawsuit names Ohkay Laundromat owners Eric Sandoval and Dean Sandoval, as well as Pueblo Alliance LLC, as defendants. According to the court filing, the suspect, Cesar Garcia, had been “openly harassing customers” and loitering on the premises for nearly seven hours before the attack occurred. The complaint alleges that the laundromat’s sole employee had reported Cesar Garcia’s aggressive behavior—which reportedly included entering her vehicle with a knife—to Pueblo Alliance LLC, but the security company failed to respond to the calls.
Anthony Velasquez was stabbed repeatedly in the chest in the establishment’s parking lot around 2:00 p.m., allegedly by Cesar Garcia, while Velasquez was attempting to lock his vehicle. The suit claims this occurred in broad daylight, just feet away from his mother. While Eric Sandoval declined to comment on the litigation, the lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for multiple forms of negligence.
Court documents indicate that Cesar Garcia is also a person of interest in a double homicide that took place in El Prado less than 24 hours before the laundromat incident. Authorities have charged him with first-degree murder in the death of Velasquez, though proceedings have been delayed due to questions regarding his mental competency. An unopposed motion for a psychiatric examination was filed in August, and jury selection is tentatively scheduled for March.
Civil Liability and Judicial Proceedings
This litigation highlights the critical legal concept of premises liability, where business owners may be held civilly responsible for criminal acts committed by third parties if those acts were reasonably foreseeable. The lawsuit rests on the assertion that the extended duration of the suspect’s alleged harassment created a clear warning that was ignored. As the civil case proceeds, it will likely run parallel to the criminal prosecution, which currently hinges on the court’s determination of the defendant’s competency to stand trial. It is important to note that Cesar Garcia is presumed innocent of all criminal charges until proven guilty in a court of law.
