Jury: Criminal fleeing Chicago cops to blame for woman's death in crash, not city

A Cook County jury ruled Oct. 9 that a Chicago woman’s death in a crash was caused by the carjacker fleeing police, not by the city. The verdict came in a lawsuit filed by Marylyn Rogel on behalf of Dominga Flores Gomez, 55, who died in September 2022 after her vehicle was struck by a stolen Honda HR-V driven by Juan C. Vazquez. Court records say police began pursuit near 33rd Street and Bell Avenue at about 8:45 p.m. on Sept. 28, roughly two hours after the car was stolen. The chase lasted about nine minutes, covering nearly 11 miles at speeds estimated between 60 and 100 mph, with red-light violations before the collision. Vazquez survived and was later convicted of reckless homicide, receiving a 14-year sentence. The family argued police pursuit policies were violated, but the jury placed blame on Vazquez. The decision adds to years of costly city payouts in similar cases, with WTTW reporting nearly $188 million paid since 2019.