Mom sues Chicago over police chase after her toddler was killed by fleeing vehicle
The mother of a 13-month-old boy who died earlier this month when a red Toyota fleeing a police chase jumped a curb and struck his stroller has sued the city of Chicago and 20 unnamed police officers.
Attorney Antonio Romanucci represents Shatrelle McComb and said at a Thursday news conference that police disregarded orders to stop the chase. It was reportedly conducted at speeds of up to 70 mph through a residential neighborhood, as the fleeing car blew through red lights and stop signs before the driver lost control and ran over the sidewalk where McComb and her son were waiting for the bus. The suit was filed Wednesday in Cook County Circuit Court.
A spokesman for the police department declined to comment because of the pending litigation, the Associated Press reports.
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Antoine Watkins, 21, the accused driver of the car that struck Dillan Harris, is another named defendant. Authorities said he had been pursued from the 7700 block of South Kingston, several miles away, to the 6300 block of South Ellis Avenue, where Dillan died.
Although police were following the red Toyota from where rapper Marvin “Capo” Carr, 22, had just been fatally shot, the July 11 chase was too risky to be appropriate, Romanucci said.
“At a certain point, you actually have to let them go if you can’t catch them because somebody will die,” Romanucci said. He also said the chase was unnecessary, because police had the vehicle’s license plate number.
Watkins has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Dillan Harris. However, he currently faces no charges of any kind concerning Carr’s death.
