Family members of Gabriela Trejo-Garcia, a 44-year-old woman killed in a crash involving a man who was being chased by police, are suing the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in Wyandotte County District Court , is brought on behalf of Trejo-Garcia’s three children. The unified city and county government is named as the sole defendant in the case.
The crash happened in January 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. Officers with Kansas City, Kansas, police were pursuing Charles Matthews, a suspect in a knifepoint carjacking , when Matthews ran a red light at Independence and Hardesty avenues, according to court documents.
Matthews struck a Nissan sedan that Trejo-Garcia was driving, according to police. Juan Avila, a 26-year-old passenger, was killed at the scene. Trejo-Garcia died in the hospital two days later.
A friend of Trejo-Garcia’s told The Star previously the two had been dating.
Lawyers representing Trejo-Garcia’s children allege the Unified Government is responsible for Trejo-Garcia’s death. Police officers involved in the chase breached the “duty to drive with due regard for the safety of others,” the lawsuit says.
Lawyers for the Unified Government in the civil case denied the allegations in a written answer to the claims filed in court Friday.
Matthews admitted to drinking alcohol and smoking methamphetamine before he stole the SUV, according to court documents. During a police interview, Matthews allegedly said he thought the officers would stop chasing him if he crossed the state line.
Jackson County prosecutors charged Matthews last year with resisting arrest, motor vehicle tampering and two counts of felony murder. Each murder charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The 31-year-old remains in custody. In April, a judge suspended the case pending the outcome of an evaluation by a state mental health expert to determine Matthews’ fitness for trial.
Earlier this year, The Star published an investigative series titled “Reckless Pursuit,” highlighting the danger of police chases. More than 320 people were injured in area police chases over a five-year period, The Star found.
Police chases are often dangerous to officers, suspects and the public at large. Some agencies in the Kansas City metro have adopted policies that restrict pursuits to cases where the driver is suspected of committing a violent felony.
Policing experts caution officers to continually weigh public safety risks during pursuits against the benefits of making an immediate arrest.
The lawsuit filed Friday seeks more than $75,000 in damages.
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