In what’s believed to be the largest settlement related to a police chase in Philadelphia’s recent history, the city paid $2.9 million to a woman and her niece who were struck by a dirt bike rider as he was being chased by an officer eight years ago.
The incident occurred back in April 2017. Investigators said a police officer was on patrol in West Philadelphia as part of a detail that was targeting illegal dirt bikes. The officer spotted Caliph Douglass, who was 32 years old at the time, as he was illegally riding a dirt bike on the street.
As Douglass fled the scene, the officer pursued him. The chase stretched into Upper Darby in Delaware County where Douglass crashed into a 6-year-old girl and her aunt as they were crossing the busy 69th Street. The impact knocked the girl and her aunt into the air, causing them significant injuries…