The Real Cost of a Police Chase: Why a Botched Pursuit Could Hit Chicago Taxpayers With a $27 Million Bill
By Shawn Henry
Published on March 14, 2026.
A high-speed police pursuit in 2017 resulted in the death of an innocent mother and injuries to her daughter, Stacy Vaughn-Harrell. The incident occurred in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood and resulted in a $27 million settlement from the city. If approved, the majority of the payout will come from taxpayers. Roughly 74 percent of the payment would come from public funds, with the remainder covered through the city’s catastrophic insurance policy. The lawsuit claimed that officers violated internal police department pursuit policies, increasing the danger to innocent drivers nearby. The legal battle over the crash has been ongoing for years, with a jury initially awarding the family $10 million in damages but the city challenged the verdict, leading to a retrial. The settlement is set to go before the City Council Finance Committee.
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