Man sues deputy over shooting outside flea market in 2017

A trucker whose aggravated assault case ended with a mistrial has sued the Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputy who accused him of the crime and shot him outside a flea market.

The lawsuit filed on Tuesday stems from a March 2017 incident in which a deputy alleged that plaintiff Ricardo Llamas, now 43, tried running him over in a parking lot outside of a flea market in the 8700 block of Airline Drive.

The deputy, Christopher Mook, who said he feared for his life, opened fire on Llamas’ vehicle, striking the Jeep and him several times, including in the back and legs. Llamas was then charged with aggravated assault against a public servant.

The deputy shot at him at least 15 times, Llamas said Wednesday during a news conference. Nine of the bullets hit his vehicle, while four more penetrated his body. Two more bullets caused abrasions, he said.

Llamas believes the deputy arrested him because he was leaving the flea market at 10 p.m.

During the 2017 trial, Llamas’ defense attorney argued that Llamas did not pose any threat to the deputy because the bullet holes were in the side of the vehicle — rather than the front.

The suit was filed against Mook and the sheriff ’s office, with civil rights attorney Randall Kallinen representing Llamas. The court documents seek unspecified damages, reforms in police training and discipline, the creation of a citizen review board and an independent probe into Llamas’ case.

The civil case also lists several dozen other examples of police shootings that Kallinen believes could also use an independent investigation because of possible excessive force.