LAKEWOOD, Wash. — The family of a semi-truck driver killed by teens fleeing police in 2023 filed a claim against the City of Lakewood for $26 million on Tuesday, alleging the chase "needlessly endangered public safety."

The claim, filed on behalf of the family of Bohdan Vetrov, alleges Lakewood police officers initiated a high-speed chase "without proper authority." The officers went "rogue," conducting unsupervised surveillance of the suspects before initiating the chase that "violated Washington state law."

The City of Lakewood declined to comment.

"If officers follow the rules and use common sense, they can catch the bad guys without endangering the public," said Mark Lindquist, the Tacoma-based attorney for the Vetrov family.

The claim filed is a precursor to the filing of a form

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