The father of a man killed last year while police chased another vehicle has filed a lawsuit against the city of Fort Worth.
Driver Andre Craig, 57, who was not involved in the chase, was struck by a police SUV as it pursued another vehicle last July. Craig was ejected from his car and died on the scene. His death, along with that of 15-year-old Samaria Ezell in an unrelated chase, prompted heightened scrutiny of the Fort Worth Police Department鈥檚 handling of vehicle chases.
Uriel Lemon Brown, Craig鈥檚 father, filed a lawsuit in the 153rd District Court on behalf of himself and Craig鈥檚 estate. In the suit, Brown alleges the police officer who hit Craig, and by extension the city, was negligent and reckless by: driving with disregard for others鈥� safety; failing to control the speed of the vehicle to avoid colliding with others; failing to keep a proper lookout; failing to maintain the proper attention necessary to avoid the accident; failing to take evasive action; failing to warn Craig; and failing to obey all traffic laws.
Witnesses have stated the police car that hit Craig ran a red light while chasing a different car. The department鈥檚 policy states that an officer shouldn鈥檛 proceed through an intersection until they can determine if it鈥檚 safe to do so. That would mean being able to see that the intersection is clear and there鈥檚 no oncoming traffic. If there is a vehicle in the intersection, officers should stop and wait until the path is clear.
Police have not released details about the investigation into that pursuit, including whether the officer violated policy by entering the intersection while there was oncoming traffic. An incident report released to the Fort Worth Report was heavily redacted.
Brown is asking for a jury trial and compensation for damages, past and future pain and suffering, mental anguish, medical expenses, loss of service, loss of companionship, funeral expenses, prejudgment interest and post judgment interest.
鈥淭here鈥檚 not one dollar amount that can ever compensate this family for their loss,鈥� attorney Daryl Washington, who is representing Brown and Craig鈥檚 estate, said. 鈥淭hey lost a major part of the family.鈥�
A spokesperson for the city of Fort Worth said officials are reviewing the lawsuit, and declined to comment on its contents, citing pending litigation. Council members are expected to discuss the lawsuit in executive session Tuesday, according to a posted agenda for the meeting.
For months after Craig鈥檚 death, the department governing pursuits, a move that Craig鈥檚 sister Nefertari Mundy called 鈥渞eprehensible.鈥� Police have since released of the policy. A to keep the remainder private is ongoing.
Washington has not seen the full policy but intends to request it in discovery, he said. From what he has seen, Washington believes it gives officers too much individual discretion.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 concerning to me,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e need to have a more detailed policy that says, 鈥楾his is when you do it, this is when you don鈥檛 do it.鈥欌��
This is not the first time the city of Fort Worth has been sued for a death caused by a police chase. In 2018, after a Fort Worth police officer slammed into the back of her vehicle going nearly 100 mph. Meza鈥檚 suit eventually made it all the way to the Texas Supreme Court, where it was ultimately dismissed. Documents included as part of that lawsuit included an from 2019.
Crashes aren鈥檛 uncommon in police chases; a review of annual use-of-force reports by the Fort Worth Report found that nearly a third of all chases since 2017 have . Clear evidence exists that pursuits are incredibly dangerous in Fort Worth and across Texas, Washington said.
鈥淲e have innocent people dying, and one innocent person dying in a pursuit is too many,鈥� he said.
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Emily Wolf is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at emily.wolf@fortworthreport.org or .
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