Cleveland, OH

Family of teen killed during 2019 Cleveland police chase to receive $4.8M in settlement

Published

1 year ago

April 22, 2024

Family of teen killed during 2019 Cleveland police chase to receive .8M in settlement

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The family of Tamia Chappman, the 13-year-old girl killed in 2019 during a chase between a stolen car and Cleveland police officers, announced Monday they have settled their civil lawsuit with the city of Cleveland for $4.8 million.

The settlement is the largest pursuit settlement in the state of Ohio.

Tamia died Dec. 20, 2019 after the car, stolen by two teenagers, crashed into her in East Cleveland during the high-speed pursuit. A Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas judge sentenced the 16-year-old driver in Oct. of 2021 to a prison term of 26 to 31 years, with at least nine years being mandatory.

The second teen, who was a passenger, pleaded guilty in juvenile court in April 2020 and was sentenced to four years at the Ohio Department of Youth Services.

RELATED STORY: Teen driver sentenced to at least 26 years for chase which ended in crash that killed 13-year-old girl

Tamia’s family filed a lawsuit against the city in May of 2020.

The Chappman family attorneys said former Mayor Frank Jackson and then-police chief Calvin Williams did not apologize for the deadly chase that occurred during their tenure.

A public records request from 19 News revealed the city spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees, as of May 2023, to defend itself in the civil suit.

RELATED STORY: City of Cleveland spends hundreds of thousands to fight lawsuit in death of 13-year-old Tamia Chapman

City spokesperson Tyler Sinclair released the following statement to 19 News:

The City’s decision to settle this case was an extremely difficult one. The police pursuit in question was initiated due to a violent armed carjacking of an innocent 72-year-old woman outside of a grocery store. The criminals were quickly identified and cowardly chose to flee from police leading to the tragic death of an innocent 13-year-old girl. They were arrested, later convicted of crimes related to both incidents, and are currently serving decades-long prison sentences.

On one hand, you have police officers who were trying to do their job to remove violent armed individuals from the streets so they couldn’t victimize more people and commit additional violent crimes. On the other hand, a 13-year-old girl was tragically killed leaving her family, friends, and entire community in heartbreak.

The City had to consider all relevant factors prior to this outcome, including a potential trial and additional costs, but we want to be clear that there are no winners or losers in a case as tragic as this one and – while it is easy to point fingers one way or another – the fact remains that if the armed carjacker never committed that crime then Tamia would still be here with us today.

Additionally, it would be inaccurate to suggest that the City has not made any progress under the consent decree since this incident, as the Division of Police received upgraded compliance from the independent Monitoring Team in 35 benchmarks – equating to a 400% net increase – just last year, which includes improvements in Use of Force, Accountability, and numerous other categories. We look forward to building on that progress in the months to come.

This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.

Source link

Related Topics:city of cleveland East Cleveland Featured TAMIA CHAPMAN teen killed

Click to comment

Cleveland, OH

Minnesota Timberwolves Send Love To Former NBA Star Ricky Rubio

Published

13 minutes ago

June 8, 2025

Press Room

Minnesota Timberwolves Send Love To Former NBA Star Ricky Rubio

Ricky Rubio was once one of the most exciting passers in the NBA.

He spent the first six seasons of his NBA career playing for the Minneosta Timberwolves.

Last week, Rubio sent out two posts (via X).

Rubio (on June 5): “… I took this year to reflect on my career and my life, and I’ve realized that if I’ve gotten to
where I am today, it’s not because of the assists I’ve given, but because of the assists I’ve received. This isn’t a goodbye, it’s a thank you to all the people who have helped me along the way.”

Rubio (on June 6): “… Gràcies a tothom. Seguim!
Gracias a todos. ¡Seguimos!
Thank you all. Let’s keep going!”

The Timberwolves reacted to Rubio’s post on June 6.

They wrote: “thank you for all the memories, Ricky 💙”

Rubio also returned to the Timberwolves for one more season toward the end of his career.

He finished his run in Minnesota with averages of 10.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 2.0 steals per contest while shooting 37.7% from the field and 31.3% from the three-point range in 421 games (384 starts).

Via Jackson Lloyd: “Ricky Rubio gave Timberwolves fans a reason to watch when there weren’t many reasons to watch.”

Rubio was the fifth pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.

He played 12 NBA seasons for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns (and Timberwolves).

Via StatMuse (on November 7, 2021): “Ricky Rubio tonight:

37 PTS (career-high)
10 AST
8-9 3P (career-high)

He is the first player in NBA history with 30+ points, 10+ assists, 8+ threes in a game off the bench.”

Source link

Cleveland, OH

Cleveland Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Absolutely Shredded by Analyst

Published

20 hours ago

June 7, 2025

Press Room

Cleveland Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Absolutely Shredded by Analyst

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders is unquestionably one of the most polarizing figures in sports right now, and it will probably remain that way for quite some time.

The former Colorado Buffaloes superstar was expected by most to be a first-round pick in the NFL Draft, but he fell all the way to Round 5, where the Browns traded up to acquire him.

While Sanders has a very large fan base, he also has his fair share of detractors, or at least those who are not entirely sold on him.

Count Jason McIntyre of Fox Sports among that group, and recently, he took some major shots at the 23-year-old.

“Despite all the hype for Shedeur, he’s the only quarterback on the Browns who wasn’t playing with the [first team],” McIntyre said. “The guy’s got ‘Be Legendary’ as his motto. He’s throwing really lavish NFL Draft parties. And he’s fourth on the depth chart, decidedly.”

Sanders is competing with veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett as well as fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel for the starting quarterback job, and as of right now, it’s quite a mountain to climb for him.

The Tyler, Tx. native may very well have the brightest future out of Cleveland’s signal-callers, but it’s clear that he is a work in progress and will probably not be prepared to start Week 1 of the regular season.

Is it possible that Sanders could get some playing time midway through the year? Certainly, but currently, he definitely appears to be on the outside looking in on the Browns’ depth chart.

MORE: Browns-Raiders Trade Proposal Sends Former First-Round Pick to Las Vegas

MORE: Former Cleveland Browns RB Fires Off Pointed Baker Mayfield Message

MORE: Robert Griffin III Shares Strong Take About Browns’ Shedeur Sanders

MORE: Cleveland Browns Linked to $57 Million Trade With Kansas City Chiefs

MORE: Key Browns Player Makes Major Change That Has Fans Buzzing

Source link