Police Pursuit Causes Death

Brooklyn, NY: (Apr-08-08) Angela Santiago, the fiancée of motorcyclist Bobby Roman, brought a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Brooklyn and two city officers, after he died in a crash during a police chase. The suit claimed that the two officers chased Roman, and then left the scene after the crash. Roman, 26, was killed July 9, 2006 when his Kawasaki crashed into a building.

The accident took place after he was hit by a car, while he was being chased by officers Christopher Lee and Philip Ditto. Sources say that the hit-and-run driver was never apprehended. It was unclear as to why Roman was being chased by the two officers, and the police department refrained from stating as to why they didn't put the chase over the radio. Records show that the NYPD, however, did file departmental charges against Lee and Ditto, accusing them of leaving the scene of an accident. The suit claimed that video evidence showed that the officers left the scene of the crash, without trying to get any help for Roman.

In a recent development in the case, it was reported that Angela Santiago will be paid $305,000 to resolve her wrongful death lawsuit. Following the agreement, Santiago stated that the money will be held in a trust fund for their daughter, Brianna, who was only 2 months old when her father was killed. [NEWSDAY: SETTLEMENT REACHED IN DEATH OF MOTORCYCLIST CHASED BY COPS]