The only survivor of a police chase that left three people dead in March is suing the Montgomery County Police Department.
Attorneys for 18-year-old Reeco Richardson say that they are seeking more than $10 million in damages, according to The Washington Post. The lawsuit claims that Richardson suffered fractured ribs and emotional damage from hearing the screams of two of his friends who died in the accident.
Richardson was a passenger in a Toyota Echo that was pursued by police, who believed the car had been stolen, in the early morning hours of March 23. Police say that the car hit a tree and burst into flames after it slowed down to negotiate Chevy Chase Circle, near the border separating Montgomery County and the District of Columbia.
The lawsuit, however, says that the car would not have hit the tree if it had not been rammed by a Montgomery County Police car, which prevented it entering the District. Montgomery County police deny that any of their cars contacted the Echo.
The driver, 16-year-old Reynard Osman, died five days after the crash. Emanuel Nelson, also 16, and Kyree Nelson, 14, died at the scene. The Echo had been reported stolen earlier in March by a Silver Spring woman.
The police say that the chase was in keeping with standard law enforcement procedure. Richardson's attorney's argue that such pursuits should be limited to serious suspected crimes.
