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

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