Attorneys allege Lakewood police violated pursuit laws, leading to a fatal crash
- Family seeks $26M after fatal police chase killed truck driver Bohdan Vetrov.
- Claim alleges Lakewood officers violated pursuit laws and risk assessment.
- Attorneys say safer pursuit options were ignored before the deadly crash.
Police chases are unquestionably dangerous, and sometimes, they’re undeniably reckless. Law enforcement officers often argue that they’re necessary. One family in Washington is suing their local police department over what it calls policy violations that led to the death of 57-year-old Bohdan Vetrov.
More: Police Run Over Biker After High-Speed Chase
Vetrov, a father of seven, was a truck driver who was simply doing his job on June 29, 2023. In the early morning hours, police were chasing an allegedly stolen Kia that rammed Vetrov’s truck head-on. The truck jackknifed, Vetrov was ejected from the cab, and later died at the hospital.
A Chase Gone Wrong
According to the tort claim uncovered by Fox 13, attorneys Mark Lindquist and Angus Lee allege that officers initiated the high-speed chase without the required risk assessment, supervisor approval, or pursuit certification, violating both Washington’s RCW 10.116.060 and Lakewood Police Department Policy 17.2.2.
“If police follow the rules and use common sense, they can catch the bad guys without endangering the public,” Lindquist said in a statement. Investigators say Officer Craner believed he could identify one of the robbery suspects involved in an earlier armed 7-Eleven holdup in Tacoma.
Rather than waiting to make an arrest at the suspect’s known residence, the claim alleges that Craner and another officer began tailing the vehicle as it moved quietly through the area. Once Craner activated his patrol lights, the driver sped off, triggering a chase that would soon turn deadly.
Dashcam footage allegedly shows Craner continuing the chase toward and then through an intersection that Vetrov had already entered legally. Moments later, the Kia hit the truck. Both teenagers inside the stolen vehicle survived the crash.
The Lakewood Police Department declined to comment, citing pending litigation. Filing a tort claim is the first step before a civil lawsuit can proceed; Vetrov’s family will be able to formally sue the city if no resolution is reached within 60 days.
As we’ve covered several times, chases like these are incredibly dangerous. In fact, bystanders make up a large percentage of the persons injured in police chases.
