The family says that they told police that they were “concerned about his health” and Tucker had not been drinking. A highway patrol officer caught up with him on Interstate 80 and rammed his car. Salt Lake Police Officer Louis “Law” Jones then shot Tucker to death while he “was simply sitting” in his car.
Officers Jones and Lisa Pascaldo and Highway Patrol Trooper Lawrence Hopper had trailed Tucker and Hopper than “attempted a pit maneuver while Joey was traveling below the speed limit.” On a second try, Tucker’s vehicle spinned out of control and hit the barrier. The complaint states that “[i]Immediately after Joey’s vehicle came to a stop with the vehicle in reverse with Joey sitting there with his hands on the steering wheel surrounded by Officer Jones, Officer Pascadlo, and Trooper Hopper, Officer Jones fired three shots, killing Joey.”
The family is now seeking punitive damages for wrongful death, loss of consortium and civil rights violations, and medical and funeral expenses.
The complaint says that a patrol car dash camera captured the incident. The complaint states that the video shows Tucker driving below the speed limit, stopping at lights, and complying with traffic signals.
The district attorney has declined thus far to bring charges, stating that Tucker was veering dangerously and that Jones saw Tucker “repeatedly reaching for something inside of the truck.” According to this article, the officers reportedly also attempted to get him to stop with their public address systems. After forcing the crash, the DA states that “Mr. Tucker reversed, then turned the wheels to drive forward toward officers who were on foot when officer Jones fired three shots into the truck, striking Mr. Tucker in the neck and torso.”
Source: Courthouse News
Kudos: Dave Mattox