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Kemarr Thomas

Age : 20

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 10/05/2021

Location : 1600 block of Nebraska Avenue

City : Toledo

County : Lucas

State : Ohio

Agency : Toledo Police Department

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Passenger killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

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REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
Shortly before midnight, Toledo Police attempted to stop the vehicle on Hill Avenue after officers observed it traveling at high speed. The driver initially pulled over, but as officers approached on foot, he drove away and police initiated a pursuit.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 10/05/2021, shortly before midnight, Toledo Police attempted the traffic stop on Hill Avenue. When the driver drove away, officers escalated a pursuit through central Toledo. The chase continued along Hill Avenue, Byrne Road, Dorr Street, Elysian Avenue and Nebraska Avenue. Contemporary reporting and later court coverage establish that the pursuit lasted approximately three minutes and that the vehicle reached about 120 mph.
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The pursuit ended in the 1600 block of Nebraska Avenue when the driver lost control and crashed violently into a duplex. The vehicle overturned and penetrated the lower portion of the residence. Twenty-year-old passenger Kemarr Thomas suffered multiple blunt-force injuries and died at the scene. The driver suffered serious injuries.
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The impact caused major structural damage to the duplex. A woman upstairs had to be removed through a second-floor window because the wreckage blocked the normal exits.
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Kemarr, known to his family as “Marr-Marr,” had turned 20 less than a year before his death. His obituary describes him as funny, energetic and deeply attached to his family and friends. He loved basketball, but his newest and greatest love was his infant son, Kemarr Thomas Jr.; his family said becoming a father had changed his outlook on life and that he was intensely proud of his little boy. He left behind his son, parents, siblings and a large extended family.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality, 1 Serious Injury.
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DISPOSITION:
Lee Moore was indicted on charges arising from the fatal pursuit crash and later pleaded no contest to vehicular homicide. In October 2023, he was sentenced to 16 months for vehicular homicide plus a consecutive 12-month sentence because he was on parole, for a total of 28 months incarceration.
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No Toledo Police officer was criminally charged for an officer’s role in initiating or continuing the approximately three-minute pursuit that reached about 120 mph.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Toledo Police Department did not publicly identify the officer or officers who initiated and participated in the fatal pursuit.
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LITIGATION:
None found.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.13abc.com/2023/10/25/toledo-man-sentenced-oct-2021-police-chase-crash-that-killed-passenger/
https://www.toledoblade.com/local/courts/2023/10/25/toledo-man-gets-26-months-in-fatal-crash-at-end-of-police-chase/stories/20231025086.html
https://www.wtol.com/article/news/crime/toledo-man-indicted-aggravated-vehicular-homicide-october-duplex-crash/512-8c39dbdb-c86e-4c16-8301-a67561686ef2
https://www.yahoo.com/news/chase-ends-fatal-crash-driver-040100247.html