SEATTLE, Wash. — A Seattle police officer has agreed to pay a $5,000 fine for hitting and killing a 23-year-old woman who was crossing the street in January of 2023. The agreement was filed Wednesday in Seattle Municipal Court.
The King County Prosecutor’s Office says Officer Dave was responding to an overdose call when he hit Jaahnavi Kandula in the Dexter Avenue and Thomas Street crosswalk.
Investigators say the officer reached upwards of 74 miles per hour in a 25-mile-per-hour area of the city before Kandula was hit. They also confirmed that the patrol car lights were flashing and the siren was being toggled on and off as he approached the intersection.
Dave originally planned to contest the fine tied to the incident.
According to the agreement filed Wednesday, he must also complete an eight-hour traffic safety course, and commit no serious traffic offenses for one year.
In September, Kandula’s family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the city and Dave, claiming their daughter experienced severe emotional distress, pain, and suffering before she died from her injuries.
This case received national attention after a body-worn video from former Seattle Police Officers Guild Vice President Daniel Auderer surfaced, where he was heard laughing and downplaying her death, saying she had “limited value.”
Auderer filed a tort claim against the city for $20 million saying he was wrongfully terminated over the ordeal and that it caused him mental pain and suffering.
©2024 Cox Media Group
