The widow of a man killed in a vehicle chase last year has sued Salt Lake City and the police officer who initiated the chase.
The suit, filed in 3rd District Court Friday, is the third lawsuit in five years against Salt Lake police officer David G. Madsen and the second alleging Madsen caused a citizen's death.The widow of James H. Pratt, 36, accused Madsen in the lawsuit of causing Pratt's death by pursuing a car at high speed through Salt Lake neighborhoods after the driver of the car refused to pull over so Madsen could issue him a traffic citation.
"I haven't seen the suit yet. I have no comment," said Stephen Allred, chief deputy attorney for the city. Mary Jane Pratt notified the city three months ago that she planned to sue for $2 million in the wake of her husband's death. However, Friday's suit mentions no dollar amount.
The car's driver, Sosaia V. Langi, 19, was sentenced last week to one year in jail and 300 hours of community service in connection with Pratt's death.
Pratt, 36, was killed May 17 when Langi's car ran a red light and collided with Pratt's car at the intersection of 2100 South and 1100 East. Madsen and other Salt Lake police officers had been pursuing Langi's car for 35 blocks at the time.
Madsen, a 21-year veteran of the force, was named Salt Lake's Officer of the Year in 1986.
In 1987, the widow of Clemente R. Garcia sued Madsen. Madsen shot Garcia, 24, in the chest with a shotgun after Garcia pointed a small handgun at Madsen following a car chase in Emigration Canyon in October 1987.
The Salt Lake City Police Department cleared Madsen in November 1987 of any wrongdoing in the shooting.
However, a month later a man arrested by Madsen complained to the department that Madsen used excessive force in arresting him.
David Russo claimed Madsen violated his civil rights by allegedly wrapping several feet of duct tape around Russo's head after arresting him and then shoving an ammonia capsule up Russo's nose. Russo was arrested following the theft of a ham from a grocery store.
The Salt Lake Police Department's Internal Affairs Division again investigated Madsen, this time concluding that officer had violated department policy. Madsen was formally reprimanded for using excessive force.
Russo also filed a suit against Madsen and the city. The city settled the suit out of court in 1989 for $1,500.
Friday's lawsuit against Madsen and the city refers to the previous suits against Madsen and claims the police department was negligent in not retraining, disciplining or dismissing Madsen.
"Defendant Madsen had been the subject of prior disciplinary action and administrative review for conduct in violation of SLPD procedures, excessively aggressive conduct and/or other instances of the exercise of poor judgment," the suit said.
Police and city officials knew of Madsen's prior violations of department procedures, his "excessively aggressive conduct and/or his propensity to engage in hazardous and/or imprudent conduct," the suit said.