Chicago police officers, city sued over deadly crash of stolen vehicle

A lawsuit filed Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court claims at least 14 Chicago police officers and the city are responsible for a teenager’s death in a crash last year during a police pursuit.

Keshawn Horton was a passenger in a stolen Dodge van about 11:40 p.m. July 17, 2016 when it crashed in the North Lawndale neighborhood, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Horton was ejected from the vehicle in the crash and died of his injuries several days later.

The medical examiner’s office said Horton was 13 when he died. The suit claims he was 16.

Officers did not pursue the stolen van, CPD’s Office of News Affairs said last year. Minutes after the driver took off from a traffic stop in the 3200 block of West Roosevelt, it struck two parked vehicles at Ogden and St. Louis avenues.

The suit claims the officers concealed the high-speed chase from supervisors, disobeyed a direct command to abandon the chase and failed to give up the chase even though conditions indicated the pursuit would endanger others.

The pursuit led to the van crashing into two parked vehicles and a fire hydrant, causing Horton to be ejected from the van and become trapped underneath, according to the suit.

The six-count suit, filed by Fonzell Horton as special administrator of the estate of Keshawn Horton, seeks unspecified damages.

A spokesman for the city of Chicago declined to comment.