Cops didn’t stop after car they were chasing crashed, killing bystander, CA lawsuit says

The family of a man who was killed by a suspect fleeing police officers has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the City of Oakland.

Lolomania “Lolo” Soakai was killed June 25 when a vehicle being chased by Oakland police officers crashed into him as he stood near a taco truck with his mother, the lawsuit says.

The crash broke his mother’s back and also injured two of his cousins who were sitting inside their SUV nearby, the lawsuit says. A friend who was standing near his motorcycle was also injured, according to the lawsuit.

At the time of the crash, the officers were conducting a “ghost chase,” which is a type of pursuit used by police where they do not turn on their sirens or lights and do not radio their chase to dispatch, the lawsuit says.

The officers were pursuing a vehicle from a nearby car rally and driving at speeds of more than 60 mph, at times more than 100 mph, through a “highly populated” area of Oakland, the lawsuit says.

“Foreseeably, the Oakland officers caused the suspect to lose control of his vehicle and (crash) into cars and motorcycles parked in front of a busy late night taco truck on International Boulevard – a main city thoroughfare,” the lawsuit says.

The car “smashed into a row of parked cars and threw a parked motorcycle into the air,” the lawsuit says. It also struck Soakai, who was standing next to one of the parked cars, and killed him, according to the lawsuit.

The Oakland Police Department said it does not comment on pending litigation. A spokesperson for the Oakland City Attorney told McClatchy News the city attorney’s office has not had time to review the complaint.

After the crash, the Oakland police officers “did not stop their car or even summon emergency medical services,” the lawsuit says. They instead “doubled-back” to the scene when they heard other officers responding and “pretended” to have just arrived, the lawsuit says.

They were also overheard saying they “hoped that the driver had died in the crash,” according to the lawsuit.

Oakland Police Chief Leronne Armstrong announced June 29, that the officers involved had been placed on administrative leave. She also condemned the actions of the driver of the car police were chasing, Arnold Linaldi.

Linaldi was charged with felony vehicular manslaughter, according to KTVU.

Lolomania ‘Lolo’ Soakai

Lolomania “Lolo” Soakai, 27, was part of tight-knit Tongan family, according to civil rights attorney Adanté Pointer, who is representing the family. Tonga is an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean.

On the night he was killed, he and his family members were out getting something to eat after a graduation celebration for a fellow church member, Pointer said during a news conference.

When the car struck him, it “launched him into the air,” and he landed on the ground in front of his mother, Pointer said.

Ina Lavalu, one of Soakai’s cousins who was there at the time of crash, said it has been traumatic for the entire family.

“Everything, sirens, Oakland P.D. cars, screeching noises, all of that, it takes a big toll on me,” she said. “Because all of it brings me back to that night that everything happened, and it makes me think that I don’t have my cousin, Lolo, here with us. It’s mentally, emotionally, physically hurt us so much.”

Lavalu said Soakai loved church and had the “voice of an angel.” He also loved his mother and would’ve done anything for her.

“Now that Lolo’s gone, when I go on drives with Mama Soakai, we just drive and all she talks about is Lolo,” Lavalu said. “Lolo would’ve done this, Lolo would’ve done that. I have kids of my own, so to hear her cry out for her son, I can’t imagine what it would feel like.”

Seeking damages

Pointer said the “ghost chase” officers engaged in violates police department policy, which states officers may only pursue when the fleeing person committed a violent crime, a crime involving a firearm or if officers have reason to believe the person possesses a firearm, according to a release from the family’s attorneys.

Linaldi was engaged in a “low-level traffic infraction,” and officers pursued without turning on their emergency lights in order to avoid scrutiny, the release says.

“In Oakland, these lights automatically trigger a dash cam,” Pointer said in a statement. “And emergency lights and sirens play a critical role in warning bystanders that serious police activity is heading their way. This car came speeding like a missile out of the dark, killed a good man and left others with serious physical and psychological injuries. The decision to give chase, despite policy and without permission, caused this tragedy.”

Through the lawsuit, the family is seeking hospital and medical expenses, funeral and burial expenses, emotional distress damages and attorneys’ fees. The amount has not been specified.

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