Nearly eight months after an Atlanta police officer ran a stop sign killing a man on a moped, the victim’s family has filed a lawsuit.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in Fulton County State Court, alleges Officer Ryan Chandler was driving too fast when his patrol car slammed into Marvin King’s moped. The city of Atlanta is named in the lawsuit. A request for comment has not been returned to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
On Aug. 8, Chandler drove through the intersection of Washington Place and Newcastle Street, hitting King, who was in the roadway, according to the lawsuit. King was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he later died.
King was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, Georgia State Patrol said. Chandler was uninjured, but taken to the hospital as well.
King was two months shy of turning 60 and lived in the neighborhood, said attorney Michael Webb, who is representing the family.
Chandler was not using emergency lights when he ran a stop sign, GSP said at the time of the crash. The AJC has requested a copy of the crash report.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
Chandler is still employed by Atlanta police and has been placed in a “non-enforcement status without arrest powers,” the department said in an emailed statement. He was hired in August 2016 and was assigned to Zone 1 Mobile Patrol Unit.
The family is requesting a jury trial and unspecified punitive damages. Webb said they filed the lawsuit after the city offered an “insulting” settlement.
Webb declined to name the offer given, but said it was less than $500,000.
“They didn’t put much value on this man’s life,” he said.
The GSP has not said if Chandler has been charged with a crime, but Webb says the officer was only given a citation.
“The average person on the street would’ve been charged with misdemeanor vehicular homicide in this instance,” Webb said.
APD is also conducting an internal investigation it opened at the time of crash.
Like Intown Atlanta News Now on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter
In other news:
About the Author
