Politics
City Lawyers Recommend Paying $3.5M to Family of Little Village Vendor Killed by Driver Being Chased by Police
(WTTW News)
Chicago should pay $3.5 million to the family of a man who was struck and killed by a driver being chased by Chicago police, city lawyers recommended, the latest massive settlement prompted by a police pursuit.
Jose Almanza-Martinez, 67, died in the crash that ended the chase on Aug. 2, 2020, near 26th Street and Pulaski Road, records show. Almanza-Martinez sold garapiñados — caramelized peanuts and pecans — for 25 years outside a Little Village restaurant, as first reported by the Chicago Tribune.
Almanza-Martinez, who was married and had two adult sons at the time of his death, was walking to a nearby drugstore when he was struck and killed, according to the lawsuit filed by his family.
The City Council’s Finance Committee on Monday is set to consider the proposed settlement. A final vote of the City Council could come on Wednesday.
The incident began when Chicago police officers pulled over a 2006 Acura driven by Cortez Williams for failing to signal before making a left turn. The car also had a broken rearview mirror, according to the lawsuit filed by Almanza-Martinez’s family.
Williams fled from police on foot after striking Almanza-Martinez, but was apprehended a short distance away. He was charged with fleeing the police, reckless driving causing bodily harm and possession of a firearm, records show.
The Chicago Police Department policy governing vehicle pursuits in place at the time of the crash prohibited officers from pursuing vehicles that flee stops prompted by traffic violations, according to the lawsuit filed by Almanza-Martinez’s family.
In addition, marked police cars must also take the lead in pursuits, and activate their lights and sirens, according to the policy.
The police vehicle that pursued the Acura driven by Williams was unmarked, according to the lawsuit filed by Almanza-Martinez’s family.
Almanza-Martinez died because Chicago police officers “engaged in a prohibited and reckless high-speed chase through the city of Chicago in a highly dense residential neighborhood in an unmarked police car for minor traffic violations, contrary to police procedures governing high-speed chases,” according to the lawsuit.
There is no evidence that the Civilian Office of Police Accountability probed the pursuit and fatal crash. A spokesperson for the agency better known as COPA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A month after Almanza-Martinez was killed, 10-year-old Da’Karia Spicer was killed after a police pursuit near 80th and Halsted streets. Her father and 5-year-old brother were also seriously injured.
Taxpayers paid $62.5 million to resolve the lawsuit filed by Da’Karia’s family.
The City Council’s Finance Committee rejected a recommendation from its lawyers in February to pay $8.3 million to the family of Dominga Flores Gomez, 55, who was struck and killed by a driver being chased by Chicago police in 2022.
The City Council has agreed to pay $40.6 million to resolve four lawsuits brought by people who were injured or on behalf of those killed during police pursuits since the start of the year, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.
The city’s insurance has paid an additional $9 million to resolve those cases, records show.
WTTW News coverage of policing and police reform is supported by The Joyce Foundation.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
