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Elizandro Vargas

Age : 31

Gender : Male

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 08/31/2023

Location : 1900 block of Ocotillo Drive, near 19th Street

City : El Centro

County : Imperial

State : California

Agency : El Centro Police Department

Officer(s) :Adrian Hirales

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during response to petty theft of alcoholic beverages

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/31/2023, at approximately 6:11 a.m., El Centro Police Department dispatch received a 911 call reporting a petty theft at the Chevron gas station at 1850 South Imperial Avenue. The caller reported that Elizandro Vargas, 31, had taken two alcoholic beverages without paying and walked away. A witness followed Vargas by car while remaining in contact with police dispatch.
According to the witness, Vargas subsequently picked up a brick from the front yard of a residence near Ocotillo Drive and Waterman Avenue and allegedly threatened her with it. She backed away and called 911 again. Officers Daniel Valencia and Victor Ruiz located Vargas at approximately 6:18 a.m., about three-tenths of a mile from the gas station. Valencia reported that Vargas was carrying a brick and requested backup.
Valencia followed Vargas on foot while repeatedly ordering him to stop and drop the brick. Ruiz followed in a patrol vehicle. Body-camera footage documented Vargas continuing to walk away while holding the brick. According to the California Department of Justice's later investigation, Vargas did not threaten either Valencia or Ruiz during this portion of the encounter.
At approximately 6:21 a.m., El Centro Police Sergeant Anthony Hernandez reminded the responding officers over the radio that the underlying offense was Penal Code §488, petty theft. Ruiz repeated the message to Valencia. Valencia and Ruiz then stopped following closely and discussed alternatives, including identifying Vargas and pursuing the petty-theft charge later.
Officers Adrian Hirales and Subah Eid arrived in separate patrol vehicles at approximately 6:22:29 a.m. The California DOJ later determined that Hirales and Eid drove past Valencia and Ruiz and did not coordinate with the officers already on scene before engaging Vargas. Hirales parked approximately 37 feet from Vargas and got out. He initially drew his Taser but almost immediately reholstered it and drew his handgun.
Hirales moved from the protection of his driver's-side door to the front of his patrol vehicle and approached to within approximately 17.5 feet of Vargas while repeatedly ordering him to get on the ground and drop the brick. Vargas stopped walking and turned toward Hirales. According to body-camera and in-car video reviewed by the DOJ, Vargas then threw the brick toward Hirales. Hirales moved to his left and fired twice. The brick missed Hirales and struck his patrol vehicle. One bullet missed Vargas and the other struck him in the upper left chest. The first shot was fired at approximately 6:22:53 a.m., about 20 seconds after Hirales exited his patrol vehicle.
Vargas remained standing after being shot. Approximately one minute and 22 seconds later he sat on the curb. Officers handcuffed him at approximately 6:24:26 a.m. and began providing medical assistance. Paramedics arrived at approximately 6:31 a.m. and transported Vargas to El Centro Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 7:28 a.m.
The subsequent autopsy found a single gunshot wound entering Vargas's upper left chest, traveling upward and exiting through his upper left back. The forensic pathologist determined that the gunshot damaged vital organs and caused his death. Toxicology detected alcohol, methamphetamine and amphetamine.
The shooting was recorded by multiple cameras. Hirales, Valencia and Ruiz had activated body-worn cameras, and the shooting was also captured by in-car cameras belonging to Hirales and Eid. Eid had left his body camera at the police station and therefore did not have body-camera footage of the encounter. Investigators also obtained Chevron surveillance video, 911 and dispatch recordings, and civilian cellphone video.
The physical evidence established that the object Vargas threw was a retaining-wall brick measuring approximately 3.15 by 5.51 by 7.87 inches and weighing 8.36 pounds. Investigators recovered two cartridge casings from Hirales' Sig Sauer P320 9mm handgun.
Hirales voluntarily spoke with California DOJ investigators. He said he initially drew his Taser intending to obtain Vargas's surrender but switched to his handgun because he was concerned the Taser might fail. Hirales acknowledged that he could have used his patrol vehicle for cover but chose to position himself in front of it because he wanted to apprehend Vargas. Hirales told investigators that he underestimated Vargas and did not expect him to throw the brick.
The California Department of Justice investigated the killing under Assembly Bill 1506 because Vargas was considered an unarmed civilian for purposes of the statute. The DOJ completed its investigation and released its final report on 03/24/2026. It concluded that prosecutors could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Hirales did not reasonably believe deadly force was necessary to defend himself from imminent death or serious bodily injury. The DOJ therefore declined criminal prosecution.
The DOJ nevertheless identified significant problems with the police tactics that led to the shooting. Its Police Practices Section found that Valencia and Ruiz had appropriately maintained distance, used verbal de-escalation and discussed a tactical approach. In contrast, the DOJ found that when Hirales and Eid arrived, they failed to coordinate with the officers already handling the encounter. Hirales moved closer to Vargas, abandoned cover and switched from his Taser to his handgun.
The DOJ specifically concluded that by closing the distance and positioning himself directly in front of Vargas, Hirales diminished his available options, leaving himself without sufficient time or distance to continue de-escalation or use alternatives to deadly force. The DOJ further found that before Hirales' intervention, there was no imminent threat of harm based merely on Vargas holding a brick and walking away, and that the later-arriving officers had time to assess the situation and formulate a tactical plan rather than immediately engaging him.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://kyma.com/news/imperial-county/2023/08/31/man-dead-in-officer-involved-shooting/
https://kyma.com/news/imperial-county/2023/11/29/officer-involved-shooting-video-released/
https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/california-department-justice-releases-report-officer-involved-shooting-3
https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/ois/report/2026_03_Vargas_AB1506_Report.pdf
https://oag.ca.gov/ois-incidents/case-archive