CHARLOTTE — Two women are seeking a combined $2.5 million in federal claims, alleging that Customs and Border Protection agents threatened, detained, and used excessive force against them during an encounter tied to Operation Charlotte’s Web in November 2025.
“This was a massive abuse of power and overreach, and you can take it sort of at any point along the way,” said attorney Jake Sussman, who represents the two women.
There is video of the encounter that happened along Kilgo Way in Plaza Midwood.
It all started when the two women followed Border Patrol agents and alerted others of their presence by using horns and whistles. The filing says agents confronted them and yelled at them. The women drove away but said immigration agents followed them.
The filing says the women called 911 and the dispatcher suggested they pull the car into a public space, such as a police station or gas station. The filing says they drove through a parking lot and residential neighborhood, and agents continued to follow.
The claims document says agents confronted them and told them to stop, so they drove away. They ended up on a dead-end street, which was Kilgo Way, and they claimed they were boxed in.
“All of this was also unacceptable and inappropriate to follow; to pursue this car had broken no laws,” Sussman said.
The complaint says the women feared for their lives as an immigration agent used his gun to bust through a window, shattering glass on the driver and a car seat. The two were taken away in zip ties and handcuffs and charged with assaulting federal agents. Those charges were later dropped by the U.S. Attorney.
[ READ MORE: Border Patrol targets Charlotte shopping centers; US citizens arrested ]
The two women, in court documents, are claiming they “suffered physical, psychological, and emotional distress. Both women were threatened, followed, assaulted with weapons being pointed at them, assaulted by fear and threat of imminent physical harm, handcuffed, detained, and criminally charged with baseless allegations.” They are seeking $1.25 million each in damages.
“It was shocking. It was abusive, and I think anybody who had experienced that is going to be reckoning with it for quite a while,” Sussman said.
The then-Border Patrol commander defended his agents, saying they were concerned for their safety. They have not responded to the federal filing yet.
CBP did not respond to a request for comments.
The federal government gets six months to respond to this complaint. If they do not, the women can file a formal lawsuit.