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Jury Awards $2.75 Million In Wrongful Death Lawsuit

(STMW) -- A Cook County jury on Friday awarded $2.75 million to the family of an 18-year-old man who was killed in a Chicago police car chase in the Humboldt Park neighborhood in 2009.

Keith MacNiece, known as Tito, died Feb. 20, 2009 after a 12-minute police chase after a stop sign violation. The chase was "unauthorized and prohibited," and reached speeds up to 100 miles per hour, said Jon Loevy, one of the attorneys for the family.

Two other people — the driver, and a 13-year-old girl — were in the car with MacNiece, who was sitting in the back seat. The family's lawyers claimed several police cars were involved in the chase, but the city said only one police car was involved, said Sarah Grusin, who also represented MacNiece's family.

Police began to chase the car after the driver did not stop at a stop sign, and the chase ended after the car crashed into some light poles on Sacramento Avenue. The family's lawyers said the chase ended at 11:35 p.m., but there both sides disputed when the chase started, Grusin said.

After the crash, MacNiece was taken to an area hospital where he died about 10 days later, Grusin said.

"We are extremely grateful that there is an ability to bring a claim in front of a jury and have the jury decide what's just and today justice was done. They decided that Tito should not have met the fate that he met and that his family was entitled to compensation for the terrible loss," Loevy said.

Jondalyn Fields, MacNiece's mother, who left the courtroom with her three children, her father, and sister, said she felt that her son received justice after almost seven long years.

"No amount of money will ever bring my son back, but I just feel relief that there is justice for him at this point," Jondalyn said.

Percy Fields, MacNiece's grandfather, said his grandson was a fun-loving and caring person who took care of his four younger brothers. A dedicated grandfather, he noted twice that is has been 2,378 days since his grandson was killed.

"The sad part about it now, he was my oldest grandson from my daughter and now he is my youngest grandson because he died at age 18 [years], nine months and ten days," Percy said.

MacNiece always helped his mom and enjoyed waking up early in the morning to cook her breakfast, especially on Mother's Day. He was "a fun kid to have around," Percy said.

With MacNiece's death came a lot of pain, said Percy, who has six children, 18 grandkids, and five great-grandchildren.

"I lost the smile on my daughter when I lost my grandson," Percy said. "We all miss him very much."

MacNiece is survived by five siblings, who were between the ages of 11 and 20 at the time of his death.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2015. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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