Attorney Says Dash Cam Video Disputes Wheeling Police Officer's Account Of Fatal Crash
(CBS) -- The attorney for the family of a man struck and killed by a Wheeling police officer claims new video casts doubt on the officer's version of events.
The video is from the dashboard camera inside a police SUV before dawn on September 14. It shows the squad making a u-turn after a car, driving along McHenry Rad and stopping for no apparent reason, then accelerating quickly and finally hitting Fredi Morales as he stepped into traffic in the dark.
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Wheeling Deputy Police Chief Todd Wolff says the officer did not have lights and sirens on as he tried to catch up to a driver who committed a traffic offense.
Attorney Erron Fisher is representing Morales' family in a wrongful death lawsuit and says the officer was driving recklessly when he switched lanes repeatedly and drove at a high speed.
He showed WBBM the video in his downtown law offices. It does not show how fast the officer was driving.
Fisher questions why the officer would completely stop his vehicle if he was, in fact, trying to catch a speeder.
Fisher says he hopes the Morales family's lawsuit gives them some answers.
Deputy Chief Wolff says the officer has returned to duty after being put on administrative leave .
Both sides are awaiting on the results of an investigation by the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team.
