Chicago, IL – A federal jury granted nearly $80 million in damages to the family of a teenager killed during a police chase in Chicago in 2020, marking a significant decision in a case that has cast a spotlight on police pursuit tactics.
The girl, Verona Gunn, was sitting in a car that was inadvertently hit by a police cruiser involved in the chase. The tragic incident occurred on May 25, 2020, during an attempt by police to apprehend a carjacking suspect. Despite the non-involvement of Gunn and her family in the crime, their vehicle became an unintended casualty of the high-speed pursuit, which violated the police department’s policy regarding chases in densely populated areas.
The court decision concluded after a lengthy deliberation, underlining the gravity felt by jurors over the young girl’s untimely death. Lawyers for the family argued that the police’s negligence and disregard for public safety led directly to Gunn’s fatal accident. They claimed that effective communication and adherence to existing pursuit policies would have prevented the tragedy.
The awarded damages are intended to compensate the Gunn family for their profound loss and underscore a warning about the reckless endangerment inherent in similar police pursuits. Judicial findings pointed out multiple lapses in executing departmental procedures designed to protect the public during criminal apprehensions.
This case has renewed calls from community leaders and activists for stringent regulations and training on police chases, especially in urban settings where the risk to innocent bystanders increases significantly. There is also a push for technology like GPS tracking that could reduce the need for high-speed pursuits altogether.
This substantial jury award is anticipated to have broader implications for law enforcement practices nationwide. Legal experts suggest that it could lead to more rigorous enforcement of pursuit policies within police departments and possibly prompt legislative actions to safeguard bystandly from potentially catastrophic police chases.
The decision arrived amidst ongoing national scrutiny over police protocols, particularly those involving high-risk operations like chases. With increasing public demand for accountability, law enforcement agencies may face heightened pressure to reform practices that pose dangers to the communities they serve.
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