Tamia Chappman
In December 2019, 13-year-old Tamia Chappman from Cleveland, Ohio, died as a result of a police chase. According to the police department, on that day, police officers received a message that someone had stolen a woman’s car, threatening her with a gun.
The officers promptly responded to the message and began to pursue the criminals “in hot pursuit”. Despite the fact that, in accordance with the department’s policy, a police chase at high speed is prohibited in a residential area, as this may pose a danger to others, the officers continued to pursue the stolen car, periodically accelerating up to 120 kilometers per hour. At some point, the hijacker lost control and flew off the road, hitting 13-year-old Chappman, who was returning from school with her friends.
The girl died on the spot, and in March 2021, a lawsuit was filed against the city and the Cleveland Police Department, accusing them of negligence. The lawsuit notes that the girl’s friends who witnessed her death saw her dead body on the sidewalk, which became a serious emotional and psychological trauma for them.