ROSEVILLE, Calif. — Three people are suing the city of Roseville and the Roseville Police Department after a head-on collision with a stolen vehicle being chased by police.
Last year, the California Highway Patrol said it started around 9 a.m. when a Roseville police officer saw a black truck possibly matching the description of a stolen vehicle. The officer tried to catch up to the truck but the driver was speeding.
The pickup truck driver went into a curve on Roseville Road and crashed into a two-door coupe, injuring the three people inside.
The lawsuit says the force of the impact ‘mangled’ their Toyota Solara into pieces and sent the pickup truck driven by John Hayden Hart II onto the roof of a nearby home.
Now, the three people injured in the crash allege the officer never had his siren or lights activated during the chase as it approached speeds of more than 100 mph in a 50-mph zone.
They said the chase was illegally initiated per the Roseville Police Department’s Policy Manual, and that by initiating a chase without lights and sirens through heavy traffic, it threatened the life and safety of others. They say, if they had known about the chase, they could have pulled over to the shoulder and avoided the crash.
They are seeking a jury trial, damages and attorney’s fees.
Jail records say the pickup truck driver, John Hayden Hart, is still at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center in Elk Grove. He’s being held without bail and is expected in court next on Jan. 9.
ABC10 reached out to the city of Roseville and Roseville Police Department for comment, however, the police department and city said the Roseville police public information officer will return early next week and will then address the request.
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