SAN ANTONIO — The family of a woman killed during a police chase in January is planning on taking legal action against the City of San Antonio.
India Watson was killed on the night of Jan. 26 when San Antonio police said they were pursuing an aggravated robbery suspect on South WW White Street.
Attorney Jerry Hernandez said he sent out a letter to the city, notifying them of potential litigation. He said if they do not respond, he will file a lawsuit at the end of the month.
Hernandez shared surveillance videos from nearby businesses with KENS 5 taken on the night of the incident.
"She’s looking for cars coming, she gets you know about halfway through the street when all of this starts coming,” Hernandez said as he was describing the video.
He pointed out that the suspect avoids hitting Watson but seconds later, a police vehicle is seen crashing into the 47-year-old.
One surveillance video showed police running to render aid.
"It's very difficult,” Hernandez said. “I've seen it several times and every time I want to look away."
The suspect was caught a short time later after fleeing on foot.
Rene Camarillo, 17, is now facing multiple charges, including murder for allegedly causing the crash that killed Watson.
SAPD said they used GPS tracking from the vehicle Watson was accused of stealing earlier that night to locate him. Officers attempted to stop him but police said Camarillo fled, leading them on the chase.
Hernandez said after watching the video, he claims the officers violated SAPD policy.
"It's very clear there were no sirens on,” Hernandez said.
According to the policy, police are required to have lights and sirens on. Police are also supposed to consider different factors before starting a chase, which includes volume of traffic, both with vehicles and pedestrians.
Watsons’ daughter held a memorial for her mother just last week at the site of the crash. She said she has not heard from SAPD since the night they notified her that her mom had died.
“I still have to pass along this street every day,” Teriane Watson said.
Hernandez said due to state law, there is a cap on how much money can be awarded in a potential lawsuit. He said the cap for this case would be $250,000.
“This has nothing to do with money but for us to bring attention to the things that are going on at the police department at the city of San Antonio that are leading to these types of tragedies,” Hernandez said.
San Antonio’s City Attorney, Andy Segovia released this statement in response to the story:
“We have not been served with the lawsuit. We will evaluate the claims once we have the complaint. We can confirm that the suspect SAPD was pursuing has been charged with murder as his actions led to the fatal accident.”
The San Antonio Police Department said its internal investigation into the crash in ongoing. The officer involved in the crash remains on administrative duty.