The family of a man killed when his vehicle was struck by a driver fleeing law enforcement officials in Crest Hill has filed a wrongful death suit against the local police department one year after the crash occurred.

The family of Suos Khloth, 60, of Joliet, filed the suit this week, according to court documents. They allege that the Crest Hill Police Department’s negligence led to the May 26, 2019 crash that killed Khloth and seriously injured his passenger.

The family has retained the services of an experienced car injury attorney to guide them through the civil process.

Authorities said Joliet resident Anthony Casterberry, now 23, fled from Crest Hill officers who were attempting a traffic stop at about 1 a.m. May 26 of last year. The chase continued for nearly five minutes until Casterberry rear-ended Khloth’s vehicle, police said.

Khloth died from injuries sustained in the wreck. A passenger, Ratanak Kong, suffered a bone fracture as a result of the incident, authorities said.

Casterberry is accused of fleeing the crash scene on foot. He was a fugitive for several weeks before he was captured in Tennessee and extradited to Will County, where he was charged with reckless homicide, aggravated reckless driving, aggravated fleeting and several other criminal counts.

Casterberry remains held at the Will County Jail awaiting trial.

In the lawsuit filed this week, the car injury attorney representing Khloth’s family alleged that Officer John McHale defied Crest Hill Police Department policies by pursuing Casterberry at a high speed, even though it was raining and the street surfaces were wet. The family seeks $50,000 in damages, as well as court costs.

Disclaimer: The Accident News article you just read includes information obtained from numerous sources. These sources include, but are not limited to, websites and press releases from law enforcement, the county coroner, fire departments, and other news outlets. While we strive to provide readers with the most accurate information, sometimes the information received is not entirely accurate. For complete details, please refer to an official police report.

The articles published contain sensitive subject matter that may be hard to read by some. We understand that losing a loved one is hard and devastating. Accident News’s decision to share the stories is to help others who may be facing the same situations by providing appropriate resources to the general public.

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