Police Escape Liability By Calling Off Chase

NEW YORK (CN) - The police called off their chase two minutes too early for the relatives of a passenger who was killed when a car thief ran a red light and plowed into another car. The New York Appellate Division refused to reverse dismissal of a wrongful death lawsuit against New York City and Tony Casale Inc., saying the car thief ran a red light and crashed into the decedent's car about two minutes after the police discontinued their pursuit.

"Nothing in the record tends to show that any of the four officers involved in the chase intentionally committed any unreasonable acts with conscious indifference," the court wrote. "The violations of police department rules prohibiting police vans from engaging in chases and requiring regular contact with NYPD command center during a chase were, at worst, a 'momentary judgment lapse.'" See ruling in Aqeel v. Tony Casale Inc.

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