Photo courtesy of the Davis Family
Attorneys for a teen killed in December during a police chase want a Florida officer fired.
Stanley Davis III, 13, was riding a dirt bike in Boynton Beach, Florida, on Dec. 26th when he was killed after police attempted to pull him over, News Onyx reported.
Davis’ family and attorneys Ben Crump and Jasmine Rand held a press conference on Tuesday calling for Officer Mark Sohn’s termination for causing the fatal crash.
Rand said Sohn has a “20-year documented history of terrorizing Black citizens in Boynton Beach” as an officer for the Boynton Beach police department. While he has been with the department since March 2002, she said if he were fired
for his actions back then, 13-year-old Davis would still be alive, WPLG reported.“This is one of the worst files that I’ve ever seen on an officer,” Rand said during the news conference.
According to Rand, Sohn was reportedly involved in two other deadly crashes that killed 38-year-old Cyrus Deal in 2012 and 5-year-old Jayden Reardon in 2016. While both victims were Black, she said it’s “unfathomable” that an officer can cause three deadly pursuits and remain on the force, per NBC News.
Davis’ mother, Shannon Thompson, said her son knew Sohn was dangerous during the news conference, “He was acting in fear as the community feared this officer. The kids, they know this officer, so him coming in contact with this particular officer was a fearful moment for him,” Thompson said.
In January, Crump said a wrongful death lawsuit would be filed against Sohn during a zoom conference.
“A police officer with Boynton Beach engaged in a hazardous, high-speed pursuit of this 13-year-old child,” Crump said on Zoom. “We believe he violated pursuit policies that we believe is a pattern and practice of Boynton Beach and in particular of this officer.”
The police said Davis was “driving recklessly” along Boynton Beach Boulevard moments before he crashed
his bike in the 800 block of North Federal Highway.Police made a statement regarding the teen’s death, “Our hearts go out to the family members of this young person, and they can trust that we and our law enforcement partners will be conducting a series of thorough and meticulous investigations into the circumstances of what occurred.”
Sohn is on administrative leave during the pending investigation.