By Shawn Henry 
A Washington family is fighting for answers after a reckless police chase turned deadly, snuffing out the life of a trucker with seven kids waiting at home. The tragic wreck has folks questioning whether cops are playing fast and loose with pursuit rules while bystanders pay the price.
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Bohdan Vetrov, a 57-year-old hauling freight for decades, never made it home on June 29th. Some punk in a stolen Kia—running from cops at breakneck speeds—plowed straight into his rig near Lakewood. The impact sent Vetrov’s truck into a violent jackknife, hurling him from the cab like a ragdoll. He later passed away.
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Now Vetrov’s family is bringing the heat. Their lawyers slapped the city with a tort claim, accusing officers of blowing past department protocols like they were optional. No supervisor sign-off, shoddy risk assessment, officers chasing without proper certs—the whole thing reads like a checklist of how not to handle a pursuit.
Here’s the kicker: cops supposedly knew where the robbery suspect lived but went cowboy anyway, tailing the car until it bolted. Dashcam footage allegedly shows the officer barreling into an intersection Vetrov had already entered, seconds before metal met metal in a deadly crunch. The two teens in the stolen ride walked away; Vetrov’s family got a coffin.
Lakewood PD’s lips are zipped tight, hiding behind the usual “pending litigation” dodge. But the clock’s ticking—the city’s got two months to cough up a response before this spills into court.
Meanwhile, the case fuels the fire around Washington’s pursuit policies. Critics say these adrenaline-fueled chases are turning streets into demolition derbies, putting regular folks in the crosshairs for what? Another joyride gone wrong? Vetrov’s family isn’t just grieving; they’re demanding someone own this mess.
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