Victim's family files lawsuit against county

YAKIMA, Wash. -- The family of a 19-year-old Yakima man killed during a police pursuit on West Nob Hill Boulevard three years ago today has filed a damage claim with Yakima County.

The claim, filed on behalf of Edgar Trevino-Mendoza, seeks $1.2 million from the county.

The claim contends the man being pursued by police, Blake Young, had been released from the Yakima County jail despite a subsequent warrant having been issued for his arrest.

Trevino-Mendoza and two friends were driving to the West Valley Community Park to play basketball on the afternoon of Oct. 22, 2006, when their car was struck at the intersection of Nob Hill and 48th Avenue.

A friend of Trevino-Mendoza's, Guillermo "Bobby" Aguilar, also died in the crash. A third victim, Juan Hernandez Ortega, was seriously injured.

The families early this month filed wrongful death lawsuits against the city of Yakima, Yakima police and Young, seeking a total of more than $6 million in damages.

The lawsuits allege police ignored the safety of the public when they pursued Young, who was driving a stolen car that Sunday afternoon.

County attorneys said they haven't had a chance to review the claim, which was filed Monday. The filing occurred three days before the three-year statute of limitations expires to pursue legal action.

Tim Ford, a Seattle attorney representing the estate and Trevino-Mendoza's parents, said the filing preserves the right to pursue claims once all the information is known about the circumstances surrounding Young's release from the county jail.

Yakima police arrested Young on Sept. 18, 2006, for possession of burglary tools.

Young remained free despite an arrest warrant issued at the request of the state Department of Corrections on Oct. 10, 12 days before the accident.

"The question is who told what to whom. He was apparently arrested by the city of Yakima," Ford said. "He was released from the county jail, and what we need to know more about is why and whose decision that was and how the decision was made."

The family's attorney said he is still gathering information from a series of public disclosure requests.

Young was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 36 years in prison.

The case led to a change in state law, co-sponsored by state Rep. Charles Ross, R-Naches, that adds a year and a day of prison time if a driver is convicted of endangering the lives of others while fleeing police.

*David Lester can be reached at 509-577-7674 or dlester@yakimaherald.com.

Memorial built for victims

A memorial will be dedicated today for two men killed when their car was struck by another vehicle police were pursuing at high speed in 2006.

A 2 p.m. dedication ceremony will be held at the memorial that was erected for both men at the corner of 48th Avenue and Nob Hill Boulevard.

Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, and Reps. Charles Ross, R-Naches, and Norm Johnson, R-Yakima, are expected to attend.

The Yakima Police Department used $7,000 from its capital budget to construct the memorial earlier this month.