Baltimore to pay $400k to settle with teen carjacking suspect run over by officer in 2021

Baltimore City unanimously approved a $400,000 settlement for Devante Jett, who sued police in federal court after an officer ran him over in June 2021.

Jett was 16 at the time, and police zeroed in on him as a suspect in an armed carjacking near Druid Hill Park in West Baltimore.

He alleged a sergeant intentionally sped up and ran him over with the passenger-side wheels of a Ford Explorer, leaving Jett with pelvic injuries, a collapsed lung, and memory loss. 

The chase 

Foxtrot video obtained by WJZ Investigates showed police tracking the Honda Pilot allegedly stolen from a pizza shop. 

The driver bailed from the Honda, and police chased him through an alley where a sergeant in a marked patrol vehicle ran him over and appeared to drag him through a vacant lot.

In his federal lawsuit, Jett claimed he was then "roughly handcuffed" while unconscious.

He also said Baltimore police "failed to train officers not to use vehicles as weapons to run over fleeing suspects who pose no threat."

In a statement included in the lawsuit, the sergeant said he never intended to run over the teenager and claimed Jett "stepped into the path of his vehicle." 

He said, "It wasn't until Foxtrot advised him that he ran over Mr. Jett did he know that he ran over Mr. Jett."

Other incidents 

The lawsuit cited other cases of alleged excessive force involving police vehicles including an officer now charged with attempted murder after prosecutors accused him of trying to run over a man in Park Heights last year. 

It mentioned the crimes of the disgraced Baltimore police Gun Trace Task Force, whose members were involved in a deadly police chase.     

The lawsuit also cited the case of Freddie Gray, whose death in the back of a police transport van after an alleged "rough ride" sparked outrage and reform.     

Backlog of police cases 

Deputy Baltimore City Solicitor Stephen Salisbury told the Baltimore spending board Wednesday that because Jett was a juvenile at the time, the outcome of the case against him is not known. 

"I can say armed carjacking is probably one of the most serious and dangerous threats that an officer would be responding to, but the kind of snap judgment of 'Was this appropriate in this specific instance?' It is highly subjective," Salisbury said. 

City Council President Zeke Cohen expressed concern over the incident and how to prevent similar cases in the future. 

"As we think about how to remain in compliance with the consent decree but also making sure officers have all the tools they need to stop crime, where is the line?" Cohen asked the deputy city solicitor about use of force cases. 

Several top city leaders expressed shock the disciplinary case involving the sergeant who struck Jett is still open after more than five years, and they noted the sergeant has more recent cases pending. 

"If a member of the public complains that one of the officers ran them down with a car, that should be prioritized over any lesser issues," Comptroller Bill Henry said before approving the settlement.

Salisbury blamed delays in resolving cases in part on a 2021 law that mandates full trial boards in disputed misconduct complaints involving police officers, even for minor disciplinary infractions. 

He said Baltimore is working through a backlog of more than 800 cases. 

Salisbury said most of those cases involved violations of the BPD's body-worn camera policy. 

"It's totally unacceptable to have these cases that have been sitting for years and years," Salisbury told the spending board. 

He said the city has worked to handle the backlog, taking on 60 cases in the first six months of this year compared to 20 in all of 2025.

"Justice delayed is justice denied. It's not only for the officers themselves but for members of the public who have filed complaints and for BPD as an employer," Salisbury said. 

Jett's lawyer responds 

Jett's lawyer, Cary Hansel, provided the following statement to WJZ Investigates following the approved settlement:

"The Baltimore Police have a long history of using police vehicles as weapons against people, risking terrible harm. This situation was well under control between a helicopter and multiple officers on the ground.  Running this child over was grossly excessive and unconstitutional. The City was wise to settle."

The city law department advised settling now avoids a potentially costly jury verdict and is in the best interest of Baltimore.