LAKEWOOD, Wash. — The family of a semi-truck driver who was killed after police pursued robbery suspects has filed a $26 million wrongful death claim against the City of Lakewood, alleging officers violated pursuit policies and state law that led to his death.

The deadly crash occurred on June 29, 2023, when police chased two robbery suspects in a stolen Kia following an armed robbery at a Tacoma 7-Eleven. During the pursuit, the suspects ran a red light and slammed into 57-year-old truck driver Bohdan Vetrov’s semi on the Interstate 5 ramp. The impact caused Vetrov’s truck to jackknife, ejecting him from the cab and throwing him off the overpass. He later died at a hospital from his injuries.

Vetrov, a husband and father of seven, immigrated from Ukraine with his family in 2017 and was their sole provider. Attorneys Mark Lindquist and Angus Lee, representing the Vetrov family, claim the pursuit violated Lakewood Police Department Policy 17.2.2 and Washington state law RCW 10.116.060, both of which require officers to complete a risk assessment and obtain supervisory approval before initiating a pursuit.

“If police follow the rules and use common sense, they can catch the bad guys without endangering the public,” Lindquist said. “Officer Craner was not certified in any pursuit intervention option, which was a mandatory precondition to engaging in a vehicular pursuit.”

The legal claim states that the officers involved did not coordinate with supervisors or create a plan to safely end the chase. Instead, they followed the stolen vehicle at high speed until it struck Vetrov’s truck. Both teenage suspects survived the collision.

Filing a legal claim is the first step before a lawsuit can be filed against a government agency in Washington. The Vetrov family may proceed with a lawsuit after the 60-day claim period.

The Lakewood Police Department declined to comment, citing “potential litigation issues.”

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