Families of 2 innocent victims killed amid LAPD pursuit to sue department and city

Two families announced their intent Wednesday to file a wrongful death claim and lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department and the City of LA after a police pursuit ended with a crash that killed their innocent loved ones. 

The Aug. 19 crash happened in South LA, near Manchester Avenue and Broadway, killing Jamarae Keyes and Janisha Harris. 

LAPD initially said it was never in pursuit of the vehicle that crashed into the two victims, but later admitted that it was. 

RELATED: LAPD admits crash that killed 2 innocent victims occurred during police pursuit

"I'm just sad that I wake up knowing that my mom is not here and I can't be able to talk to my mom," the daughter of Janisha Harris said. 

The families, along with their attorneys, were speaking out Wednesday in Leimert Park, making an emotional plea for change.

"LAPD needs to pay for this. I can't even sleep at night. My son is gone," said Sandra Green, the mother of Jamarae Keyes. 

The incident started when LAPD said it tried to pull over a Cadillac for a traffic violation. Officers originally said they weren't officially pursuing the vehicle, just pulling it over. After a review of dash-cam and body-worn video, the department said that, in fact, officers were in pursuit of the Cadillac and pulled back just 10 seconds before the deadly crash occurred. 

The widow of Jamarae, Tanya Keyes, noted that the incident started with a lie by police, but said she wants the end result to be truth and justice. 

One of the attorneys for the families, Dale Galipo, questioned the usefulness of police pursuits. 

"The question needs to be addressed, are these pursuits really worth it," he said. "Is it really that important to pursue someone for something minor if there is a probability or chance that someone could be killed or permanently injured? One could clearly argue that if it wasn't for the pursuit that should not have taken place, the accident wouldn't have happened the people killed would be alive today."

RELATED: Two dead following four-car crash caused by group of suspects fleeing from police in South LA

The families are also demanding a hearing with the city council and an evaluation of police policy regarding pursuits. 

Another of the families' attorneys, Ben Crump, said the policy surrounding police pursuits endangers everyone. 

"It is critically important to us that people understand this is not just about the Keyes family or not just about the Harris family. It's about every family in California," he said.   

By speaking out, the family hope to do their part to ensure that this doesn't happened to anyone else. 

"...that justice is the last thing we do for them, that it will be served," Tanya Keyes said. 

In addition to the wrongful death claim, the families are suing for survival damages as well. 

As for the driver of the Cadillac, the 20-year-old man was charged with manslaughter and remains in custody.