Lisa Robinson | wbaltv.com
Jul 12, 2022
The wife of the man who died after a police cruiser crashed into his scooter is calling for justice.
The family of 58-year-old Terry Harrell is questioning why the officer is still on the job.
“What he took was a father, a brother, a cousin, a pop pop, a best friend and a husband for 21 years,” said Vernia Harrell, the victim’s wife.
Terry Harrell died days after an accident on June 21, involving police. He was riding a scooter in east Baltimore when he entered the intersection of East Biddle Street and North Milton Avenue, and a police cruiser, driven by Officer Alexis Acosta, crashed into him.
The cruiser had been headed to an emergency call. The attorney general’s office said it had its lights and sirens on.
“The officer was reckless, but yet he’s still allowed to work he took a life it could have been anyone’s life,” Vernia Harrell said.
“If they were taking this matter seriously, the officer would at least be on leave while this matter is being investigated,” attorney Alex Binder said.
Police said Acosta has been placed on routine administrative duties, pending the outcome of the investigation. Binder said Acosta was traveling at a high rate of speed.
WBAL-TV 11 News looked into police policy. It states officers can proceed through a red light or stop signal, a stop sign or a yield sign, but only after slowing down.
Acosta is a one-and-a-half year member of the police department.
“His daughters — who is going to walk them down the aisle? We have to think about all this stuff it’s long-term, it’s not short-term. This man has taken my best friend,” Vernia Harrell said.
The case is still under investigation by the Baltimore Police Department and the Maryland Attorney General’s Office.