Teen's family wants to know why Harvey officer involved in deadly pursuit was on the road
HAZEL CREST, Ill. (CBS) -- A year after two teenagers were killed in high-speed police chase in Harvey, the family of one teen is asking why the dangerous pursuit ever happened in the first place.
CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey has been digging into the case — and the reckless driving record of the Harvey officer at the center of it.
"Somebody fumbled," said Shellrece McIntyre. "Somebody did something wrong that night."
At first, McIntyre didn't know Harvey police were ever involved in the fatal crash in Hazel Crest last November that took the life of her 19-year-old daughter, Lexi Dampier.
"Understand what I lost," McIntyre said. "To lose a child."
A small memorial still sits along the roadside where Dampier and Justin Alston, 19, were killed in the crash on Nov. 10, 2022.
Looking at the scene a year ago - it's pretty hard to imagine anyone surviving what happened.
"Did she know this was going on? Did she know like this was about to happen?" McIntyre said. "The car is in half."
Mcintyre kept pushing for answers, and discovered that it all stemmed from a "disturbance" at a Harvey gas station that Dampier's two friends visited while she sat in the car. One friend's credit card got declined.
"She became angry and knocked over the sort of end rack of potato chips on a way out the store," said the family's attorney, Jon Erickson.
The teens drove off. At that point, according to this lawsuit filed against the City of Harvey and the officer involved this week, Officer Frederick Washington decided to start pursuing their car toward Hazel Crest.
Washington didn't request permission from dispatch, as required by Illinois State Police and Harvey police directives.
"Demonstrating a reckless disregard for human life," Erickson said, "and it ended in a tragic death."
The lawsuit says that at one point, the squad cars were driving into oncoming lanes of traffic — before the crash near 170th Street and Dixie Highway.
Surveillance cameras positioned blocks from the crash site picked up squad cars barreling through a Dixie Highway intersection at speeds of up to 96 miles per hour, according to expert analysis. They were going 96 miles per hour — when the speed limit in this area is 35.
Attorneys want to know - all that over a declined card and rack of potato chips?
Lexi's family started looking into Officer Washington's background, and learned it wasn't the first time he'd been accused of reckless driving.
According to court records, in May 2020, Officer Washington was arrested and charged with his second DUI. Also in 2020, Washington pleaded guilty to reckless driving and had gotten off probation just months before the fatal crash.
"This police officer had no business being on the street," Erickson said.
"And for us to know that he's still on the force?" said McIntyre. "So you don't see anything wrong with that? You don't see that being an issue?"
We asked Harvey police and the City of Harvey about the officer's history of reckless driving, and for comment about what happened that night. As of late Friday, there had been no response.
"I don't want this to be someone else's child," McIntyre said.
Lexi's family said they're speaking out to shine a light on the officer's history, and to make sure police officers are getting the right training on how properly to weigh the balance of the need for a high-speed chase and the safety of everyone involved.
"What is it going to take?" McIntyre said.