Man struck by vehicle pursued by Evanston police sues city

A man struck by a vehicle that was driven away from a traffic stop and pursued by Evanston police officers has filed a lawsuit against the officers involved in the chase and the north suburb.

The two-count suit, filed Wednesday in Cook County Circuit Court by Paul Caldwell, seeks more than $100,000 in damages.

On April 3, 2016, Caldwell was crossing the street at Sheridan Road and Greenleaf Avenue in Evanston when the driver of the vehicle pursued by police drove through a red traffic signal and struck Caldwell, according to the suit.

Before he was struck, Evanston police officers attempted to stop the driver for a “minor traffic violation” near Howard and Paulina streets in Chicago when the driver “fled the scene by vehicle,” and drove north on Paulina, east on Jonquil Terrace and south on Sheridan Road, the suit said. The two officers “encountered numerous parked cars, moving cars and pedestrians during their pursuit.”

Caldwell claimed the officers failed to initially light their flashing lights and disregarded public safety in their pursuit of the vehicle, according to the suit. Caldwell also claimed the city failed to adopt proper policies regarding police pursuits and failed to train the officers on proper police pursuit techniques and decision making.

A representative for Evanston police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.