Chicago Weighs $22 Million Settlement in Fatal Police Chase Crash

Overview

• City Council’s Finance Committee is scheduled to vote Wednesday on the payout to the family of 25-year-old Angel Eduardo Alvarez Montesinos, with full Council action possible Jan. 21.
• The proposal assigns $20 million to taxpayers and $2 million to the city’s insurer if approved.
• The lawsuit names Officers Erik Arroyo, Carolyn La Placa, and Michael Spilotro III, alleging they ignored CPD chase rules as a fleeing stolen Hyundai driven by a 15-year-old reached about 90 mph and collided with Montesinos’ car in North Lawndale.
• COPA found the pursuit violated policy, citing failures to activate lights or sirens or notify dispatch, repeated traffic violations by Spilotro, and deactivated body cameras; COPA recommended firing Spilotro and a 30-day suspension for Arroyo, and the disciplinary process is tied up in a state Supreme Court arbitration dispute.
• A separate $875,000 settlement for Black Lives Matter protesters over alleged unconstitutional tactics during May 2020 demonstrations is also on the agenda, with former Superintendent David Brown named as a defendant.