Family Of Boy Killed By Fleeing Car Sues CPD Over Chase
CHICAGO (STMW) -- The family of an 11-year-old boy killed when a car thief fleeing from police crashed has filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Police Department.
Donovan Turnage's death on Dec. 21 was an "entirely preventable" tragedy that would have been avoided if police hadn't given chase on a crowded street in the middle of the day, an attorney for the Turnage family said Monday.
Turnage, a student at Morrill Math & Science School, was thrown from his father's SUV in Englewood when it was hit at 55th and Halsted by a stolen car that police say was being driven by serial offender Rockie Douglas.
In a lawsuit filed Monday in Cook County Circuit Court, attorney Martin Dolan alleged officers pursuing Douglas at the time of the accident were not using their siren and violated city policy by pursuing Douglas in a high-speed chase through crowded streets.
The suit seeks unspecified damages in excess of $50,000.
Chicago Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
But the incident prompted a major manhunt in December, which ended with the capture of Douglas at a McDonalds drive-thru in Milwaukee.
Nicknamed "Scribbles," Donovan "was a smart, beautiful boy who was loved by everyone who knew him," his mother, Annette Turnage, said in a statement.
"A child's life was cut short by something that never should have happened in the first place. I want justice for my son. No family should have to endure this kind of heartbreak."
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
