RSSVictim's family files lawsuit against county
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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.
It's tragic that these two boys were killed, but what's accomplished by taking tax payer money away that could be used for enforcement?
Report Violation3 days before the statute of limitations was to expire means that the time for grief is now over, lets get on with it and oh by the way, this is a good way to make lots of money.
Sound callous? Yes, I'm afraid it does but the timing and amounts being used makes it more of a business transaction than just compensation for a lost one.
Good Point, Jar.
On the other hand, maybe that is the justice we get for soft-pedaling with criminals in general as has been going on in the entire state.
Stiffer - and strictly enforced - sentences might make a difference in a few cases at least. It is common knowledge that if you are sentenced to a term of years, you can get out after serving less than half that time. What's the point of that?
If this guy hadn't been released before checking to see if there were more troubles he needed to answer for, (f that is what the article is saying) this probably wouldn't have happened.
Our entire justice system needs to be revamped. We simply must stop treating criminals like victims and ignoring the REAL victims.
great, try to take a million dollars from an already broke city/county. The ones who will feel the effects of that are the citizens, not the cops.
Report ViolationI agree with Nick in that we are soft pedaling these criminals. If the story is correct in that the county released Young when he had a warrant for his arrest then there is something wrong with the system and it needs to be fixed,but I think the whole judicial system needs to be corrected to make criminals pay for their crimes. Yea the county needs to pay this family for there hardships. If my son died in an incident like this I would want anyone involved to pay for my loss. The money would mean nothing to me but if I have to suffer then I would want the county to suffer too with a loss of money. I would also want Young to suffer for his mistakes and hopefully he does.
Report ViolationI hope anyone that allowed Young to be released is also disciplined and even loses their job or takes a pay cut for their stupidity
Report ViolationIts a "darn if you do, darn if you don't".
Report ViolationJust a little information for you. WA State DOC was supervising Blake Young from a previous conviction and had issued the mentioned warrant. When arrests are made by WA State Patrol, YPD, or YSO the information goes into a database. WA DOC Community Corrections (which is located just around the corner from CO DOC) checks this database daily to match with clients. State DOC would have known that their inmate was in County custody and should have acted appropriately.
From the information, it shows that the Bench Warrant was issued/inputed into the system on 10/10/06 - that would be 22 days past his arrest for a gross misdemeanor.
In layman terms, he was released from DOC after being seen in court for this charge and then TEN DAYS LATER a bench warrant was served. Doesn't sound as if the County released Mr. Young erroneously.
You guys are heartless, I believe that its not about the money but about teaching law enforcement to actually do their jobs and stop risking the lives of innocent people. How would you feel losing someone you love and knowing that a big part of the blame was the people you trust to protect you (cops). Maybe with the law suit they will make sure this doesn't happens again. And remember it was more than one life that was lost and more than 2 families that were destroyed. Money will not bring these young men back but yet the familys know that they are doing everything they can to prevent it from happening to another innocent family.
Report ViolationHigh speed chase criminals are counting on the fact that police will not chase them. I would never want to see innocent lives being hurt but I would also never want to see criminals remaining free. It is a vicious cycle with many agencies that need to do their part. quit coddling the criminals and throw the book at them. Tough penalties for habitual offenders. (Which is what this criminal is)
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