The families of two women who died following law enforcement pursuits last year are suing the Cuyahoga County sheriff and deputies involved.
The families鈥� attorney, Stanley Jackson, said the pursuits were based on minor traffic violations and never should have happened.
鈥淎nytime there's a potential traffic violation 鈥� to be pursuing at that rate of speed in a city that is condensed as we are, and knowing the inherent danger of pursuits, there's no way that there isn't any liability or that he's not at fault for that,鈥� said Jackson.
Sharday Elder died after her car was struck by a fleeing suspect on Aug. 24, 2025, five months after Tamya Westmoreland was hit by a fleeing suspect and ejected from her vehicle.
In Elder鈥檚 case, sheriff鈥檚 deputies began pursuing a suspect driving without headlights near East 12th Street in Downtown Cleveland. Eventually the pursuit reached speeds above 80 mph before the suspect, Jaymone Whitaker, crashed into Elder鈥檚 car at a stop light on Cleveland鈥檚 East Side.
Elder died the next morning at University Hospitals.
鈥淪he was loved by so many people,鈥� said her sister, Cearria Elder. 鈥淲e鈥檙e holding the sheriff鈥檚 department accountable for her death, everybody involved.鈥�
Westmoreland died following a pursuit that started on East 9th Street in Downtown Cleveland on March 28, 2025. According to the lawsuit, the driver committed 鈥渟everal traffic violations,鈥� may have been driving under the influence of alcohol and had a fraudulent or stolen registration sticker on their license plate.
The chase continued onto the interstate, reaching speeds of around 100 mph before the suspect driver exited at Eddy Road and struck Westmoreland鈥檚 vehicle.
鈥淭he impact of the collision between the suspect鈥檚 vehicle and the Range Rover being driven by Tamya caused the Range Rover to flip over the bridge and land near the railroad tracks adjacent to the bridge, becoming fully engulfed in flames,鈥� the lawsuit stated.
Westmoreland was thrown from her vehicle. She was taken to University Hospitals where she died on April 13.
鈥淭o see her in that condition and know that she was a great person to everyone around her, and to know that this accident caused her so much pain, was very hard,鈥� said her daughter, Dymond Westmoreland. 鈥淚t's life-changing and it's been very hard. And so we just want justice. We would like to see change, we really do.鈥�
Both pursuits involved the same sheriff鈥檚 deputy, Kasey Loudermilk, who was part of Sheriff Harold Pretel鈥檚 controversial and since renamed Downtown Safety Patrol.
Pretel updated the department鈥檚 policy limiting chases to suspected violent felonies or drunk drivers after the two crashes.
Jackson said that new policy should have included input from the Elder and Westmoreland families and did not go far enough.
鈥淲e feel that this civil lawsuit will get that accountability, will get the answers, will be able to address the systemic issues that we have with police pursuits in our community,鈥� Jackson said. 鈥淯ltimately, we want pursuits to end in Northeast Ohio. Our people are more valuable than property.鈥�
Both lawsuits were filed in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas last week.
