In the aftermath of an attempted carjacking in June, life coach Cassandra Light says she is facing a long physical recovery as well as mounting financial challenges.
Light, a Mission Beach resident, said she was driving back to San Diego from Rosarito with her dog on a Monday afternoon in mid-June when a vehicle blocked her from entering a highway on-ramp on a busy Tijuana road.
A masked man then approached her window and opened fire, according to Light’s account on GoFundMe, which she launched to help cover medical costs.
One bullet passed through the driver’s side window and exited through the passenger door. A second struck her lower leg, shattering her tibia and fibula before exiting near her ankle. The masked assailant threw Light from the vehicle onto the street.
Light said that two women who witnessed the attack came to her aid; one applied a makeshift tourniquet that she credits with helping save her life. Ellie, her dog, also made it out of the car.
The assault has left Light immobile and unable to walk without assistance for about half a year.
Initially treated at an emergency room in Tijuana before getting transferred to the U.S. border, where she was picked up by American paramedics and taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego. She spent 10 days in the trauma center and has undergone four surgeries, leaving her with a metal plate, a rod and multiple screws in her leg.
More than a month after the attack, Light said her cast and stitches have been removed, but doctors told her in mid-July that she will be unable to put weight on the injured leg for at least six months.
“Simple things I never had to think twice about, getting down my stairs to go outside, walking Ellie, making breakfast, taking a shower safely, carrying anything, everything now requires planning, assistance, or isn’t possible at all,” Light wrote on her GoFundMe page.
“My days are spent with my leg elevated, focused on minimizing pain and healing. The medication I need to manage the pain also means I can’t show up for my coaching clients in the way they deserve, so my business has been placed on hold while I recover.”
Investigation status unclear
It is not clear whether Mexican authorities have identified a suspect or made any arrests. Multiple outlets reporting on the case have stated that no arrests had been made as of Aug. 1.
The FBI’s San Diego field office, asked whether it was aware of the attack or providing investigative or technical assistance to Mexican authorities, referred comment to Mexican investigators.
“The FBI stands ready to assist in any way that the Mexican government may request,” the agency said in a statement attributable to the FBI, provided by its San Diego Public Affairs office. “We would refer you to the Mexican authorities leading the investigation for any comment on this matter.”
The statement did not address whether the FBI’s Legal Attaché in Mexico has been in contact with Mexican authorities about the case, nor did it confirm or deny any open investigation or victim assistance involvement on the FBI’s part.
Light’s Mercedes SUV remains impounded in Tijuana, where it was held as evidence. She has said Mexican authorities told her she must appear in person at the tow yard to retrieve it, a requirement complicated by her inability to walk or travel. Storage fees have continued to accumulate in the meantime.
Light said she hired a Mexican attorney to help navigate the vehicle’s release and said she has also been in contact with the U.S. Consulate General in Tijuana.
Travel safety context
Joaquin Luken, executive director of the Smart Border Coalition, a nonprofit focused on cross-border mobility between Tijuana and San Diego, said the attack on Light appears to have been an isolated incident rather than evidence of a broader pattern targeting American travelers.
“I don’t think they were targeting her and said, ‘Oh, she’s American, let’s take advantage of that,’” Luken said, noting that roughly 150,000 people cross the San Diego-Tijuana border on a given day for reasons ranging from culinary quests to work and school to medical and veterinary care.
Luken said Tijuana remains a safe city that depends heavily on visitors from the United States and on tourism in general, and that isolated violent incidents can occur in any densely trafficked border region.
He recommended that travelers take common-sense precautions: know their destination in advance, confirm appointments or businesses through research or referral rather than asking strangers for directions, carry adequate insurance — he pointed to providers like Baja Bound that specialize in coverage for U.S. travelers in Mexico — and exchange cash for pesos on the U.S. side of the border before crossing.
Luken also urged travelers to be aware of vehicle lane rules when crossing back into the U.S.
Drivers without a Trusted Traveler program membership, such as SENTRI or Global Entry, must use general traffic lanes, which he said can carry waits of four to six hours. He cautioned that repeated use of the wrong lane — including the SENTRI lane, if a driver isn’t officially enrolled — can result in fines or a vehicle being placed in secondary inspection.
The U.S. State Department maintains a Level 3 “Reconsider Travel” advisory for Baja California, citing crime, including armed carjacking and kidnapping.
“I’m not saying never go,” Light shared on her Facebook page. “But right now it’s at peak crime rates. I had no idea. I learned the hard way.”
Looking for silver linings
Throughout the ordeal, Light has said Ellie, her dog, has been a source of comfort. Ellie was in the back seat of the vehicle during the shooting and, according to Light’s account, jumped out to reach her after she was thrown from the car.
The dog was allowed to ride with Light in the ambulance from the scene to the Tijuana hospital and again across the border to Scripps Mercy, where hospital staff cared for the young dog outside the operating room during Light’s surgeries.
Light said hospital staff who interacted with Ellie during her recovery encouraged her to have the dog trained and certified as a therapy dog.
Their input is now among the goals of Light’s GoFundMe campaign, which as of Aug. 1 had raised $11,690 toward a $13,000 goal to cover housing, rehabilitation, transportation, legal costs, the recovery of her vehicle and Ellie’s future therapy dog training.
Light, who founded Clight LLC and The Confident Shift, said she left a decade-long career in tech before launching her coaching business about two years ago. She added in her GoFundMe post that she has had to pause client work while she manages pain medication and recovery.
“Losing the ability to do the work I love has been one of the hardest parts of this,” she shared. “The hardest part of recovery hasn’t just been the physical pain. It’s losing my independence.”
A 2010 University of Oregon alumna who studied business administration, Light said she has built her life around supporting people move beyond their biggest blocks and “never imagined that one day I would need to ask others to help carry me through mine.
“But healing has reminded me that resilience isn’t about carrying everything alone. Sometimes resilience means allowing others to carry you for a little while.”
