Two Charlotte mothers are demanding three million dollars from the federal government after Border Patrol agents chased them down a dead-end street, smashed their car windows with a rifle, and held them at gunpoint while they were driving to a Christmas show with their children.

Federal Agents Chase Concerned Citizens

Tatyana Reisini and Kristen Roos were headed to the Southern Christmas Show on November 17, 2025, when they noticed federal immigration agents near Eastway Drive. Concerned about their community and because the location was on their route, they drove toward the area. The women spotted what they believed was an unmarked agent vehicle with out-of-state plates and followed it into a parking lot off The Plaza, where other concerned drivers had gathered, honking horns and blowing whistles to warn community members.

Federal agents in multiple vehicles surrounded Reisini’s 2019 Acura and emerged yelling at the women. Terrified by the armed, masked agents, Reisini maneuvered away and called 911. The operator recommended they drive to a public area like a police station. Instead, attempting to find safety, Reisini unknowingly turned down a dead-end street lined with townhomes.

Rifle Through Window As Child Seat Sits Empty

When agents boxed them in again at a random driveway, one pointed an assault rifle nearly flush against the driver’s window, directly at Reisini’s face. He then repeatedly struck the window with the rifle’s barrel until the glass shattered onto Reisini. An empty child’s car seat sat in the back. A neighbor captured the confrontation on video, which later received over nine million views on social media.

Agents zip-tied Reisini’s hands behind her back. One officer said loudly, “You’re a stellar mom,” to which Reisini responded, “I am a stellar mom, thank you very much.” The women were then held at an FBI office. Then-commander Gregory Bovino later praised the incident on social media, calling them “excellent arrests for assault on a federal officer.”

Three Million Dollar Demand For Federal Overreach

Attorneys with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice filed claims Monday under the Federal Tort Claims Act against the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Customs and Border Protection. The legal notice details how agents “quickly sowed terror and fear across the city, disrupting daily life” during what officials called “Operation Charlotte’s Web.” When asked about the risk of smashing a window with a loaded weapon, Bovino told The New York Times he was not concerned. The mothers claim false imprisonment, assault, and property damage during enforcement activities they say violated their constitutional rights as American citizens simply expressing concern for their neighbors.