BALTIMORE — Baltimore City is on the verge of paying out a $6 million settlement related to the police department's defunct Gun Trace Task Force.
The lawsuit stemmed from an incident dating back to April 2010, when detectives chased a car with two men, Umar Burley and Brent Matthews, wanted for an alleged drug violation.
While fleeing police Burley sped through a stop sign colliding with another car occupied by Elbert Davis Sr. and Phosa Cain.
The crash left Davis dead and Cain, who has since died from unrelated causes, seriously injured. In 2013 Davis' family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Burley and obtained a more than $1 million judgement, which was ultimately paid for by the City.
RELATED: Family sues Baltimore Police Department for $25M after illegal stop causes crash
That came about when Burley and Matthews sued the police department in 2018, alleging they were illegally arrested and falsely convicted in connection with that 2010 incident.
One officer involved at the time, Sergeant Wayne Jenkins, was later federally indicted and convicted on allegations that included falsifying documentation which also impacted the case against Burley.
As the case against Jenkins unfolded, it was revealed that drugs were planted in Burley's car to justify the pursuit. It was this incident that implicated the now deceased detective Sean Suiter, who never was charged.
SEE ALSO: An In Focus look into the 500+ page Gun Trace Task Force investigative report
Investigators said they spoke with Jenkins by phone in January 2021, to ask who planted the drugs. "Sean Suiter—not at my direction, but he put drugs under the seat," Jenkins was quoted as telling investigators.
This ultimately led to the convictions of Burley and Matthews being dropped, paving way for their initial multi-million dollar lawsuit that was eventually settled in 2020.
MORE: Man involved in GTTF settlement arrested on attempted murder charges
Afterwards it was suggested since the officers were accused of violating Burley and Matthews' constitutional rights, they in turn violated Davis and Cain's which their families say is justification for the City to pay them $6 million.
The Board of Estimates will vote on the settlement at their February 15 meeting. So far the City has spent over $115 million on lawsuits filed in connection with the disgraced Gun Trace Task Force.
