Pre-teen, North Charleston Police sued over deadly July 2022 wreck
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - An underage boy accused of driving at twice the speed limit during a police pursuit leading to a deadly crash is now facing a pair of wrongful death lawsuits alongside the North Charleston Police Department.
The boy was only 12 at the time of the wreck near the airport in July 2022.
Attorney Grahame Holmes represents the family of Mary and Shamricka Dent, the sisters who died after the car the minor was driving slammed into theirs as they were attempting to turn left on Michaux Parkway.
Grahame says the new filings are a way of finding out answers, which the family says they still don’t have.
On the night of the incident, the driver told investigators he was driving to Checkers for food and returning home when North Charleston Police officer Andrew Johnson tried to pull him over for an expired plate.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol reported the 12-year-old did not stop, disregarding a red light and reached speeds of more than 100 miles per hour on Dorchester Road, closely followed by the officer at similar speeds.
The lawsuit claims both were negligent and willful in their actions that led to the Dents’ death.
The roads were also slick as it had been raining.
During the initial investigation, the child told investigators he was afraid of the police and that was why he didn’t pull over.
READ MORE: ‘This could have been prevented’: Mother of 12-year-old suspect in fatal crash speaks out
The boy’s mother, Chimere McWhite, claimed he had stolen her car that night without permission but admitted to teaching her son how to drive on private property but not public roadways.
She had previously filed police reports against her son in attempts to get help for her his behavior, but says she did not get the help she needed.
Both the police department and McWhite have declined to comment on the newly-filed lawsuits.
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