COWETA, Okla. — A settlement has been reached after a 2021 crash involving an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper that killed two people.
Attorneys for the victim’s family say the trooper acted recklessly by chasing after a driver.
In February 2021, Elias Gonzales, 14 at the time, stole an Eagle Redi-Mix Concrete company truck from a car wash in Coweta. Court documents say an OHP trooper, Mark Warren, embarked on a 15-minute chase that spilled into Tulsa and reached speeds of more than 100 miles an hour.
WATCH: Family settles lawsuit against OHP over fatal pursuit:
The chase ended near 21st and Garnett when the truck crashed into an SUV, killing Lanise Dade and her daughter, Camyea, 13.
Lanise’s nephew, D.J., seven years old at the time, survived.
On March 25, D.J.’s father finalized a $100,000 lawsuit settlement. His attorney, Jack Warren, says the trooper violated OHP policy requiring officers to weigh the seriousness of a crime against the risks to the public.
The suit claims the trooper also served on OHP’s pursuit review board, which is tasked with reviewing chases to make sure policies were followed.
Attorney Jack Warren says he hopes the case will shed light on the dangers of police pursuits.
“Their job is to detain and find wrongdoers, but there have to be some guardrails around that,” he said. “Particularly if the person… is not necessarily suspected of some violent crime.”
Oklahoma’s tort claim law caps a settlement amount in this case at $175,000. However, this case is not completely over because they are also suing Eagle Redi-Mix Concrete. The suit claims the driver broke the law by leaving his truck unattended, which allowed Gonzales to steal it.
The Department of Public Safety, which oversees the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, does not comment on litigation. In court filings, OHP and Trooper Warren denied allegations against them.
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