Aldermen will vote this week on a proposed $22 million settlement with the family of a man who was killed in a 2023 car crash as Chicago police were chasing another driver in a stolen vehicle.

City attorneys recommended the settlement with the family of 25-year-old Angel Eduardo Alvarez Montesinos, who was killed on June 16, 2023, when a Hyundai fleeing from police in a high-speed chase crashed into his Honda in the 3800 block of West Roosevelt Road.

The City Council Finance Committee will vote on the proposed settlement on Wednesday. If approved, the full City Council could give final approval to the settlement on Jan. 21. The agreement calls for taxpayers to cover $20 million of the settlement, with the city's insurance company paying $2 million.

According to the lawsuit filed by Alvarez Montesinos' family, police "engaged in an unnecessary and extremely dangerous high-speed pursuit," and officers should have called off the chase after seeing the driver of the stolen Hyundai repeatedly "engaging in dangerous maneuvers" and putting public safety at risk.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability determined officers had begun chasing the Hyundai in response to 911 calls of four men with guns speeding through alleys in a gray Hyundai. But COPA's investigation found that officers acknowledged the Hyundai's windows were tinted, so they were unable to confirm how many people were in the car or if they had any weapons.

COPA determined that, under those circumstances, officers were forbidden from chasing the Hyundai under CPD rules, because it was unclear if "the Hyundai was more than just a stolen vehicle at the time they initiated the pursuit."

CPD policy requires officers to conduct a balancing test before initiating a vehicle chase to "consider the need for immediate apprehension of an eluding suspect and the requirement to protect the public from the danger created by eluding offenders."

COPA determined that, during the chase, officers failed to activate their squad car's lights or siren, or to notify emergency dispatchers about the pursuit, as required by Chicago Police Department policy. The investigation also determined the officer behind the wheel of the squad car, Michael Spilotro III, repeatedly violated traffic laws during the chase.

"Specifically, he ran four stop signs, reached speeds of up to 61 mph (in a 30 mph zone), crossed the double yellow lines into the opposite direction of travel three times, turned right onto Roosevelt Road from the left turn lane of Homan Avenue while cutting off traffic and ran one red light," COPA's final report on the crash stated.

COPA also determined that Spilotro and his partner failed to activate their body-worn cameras during the chase. COPA recommended Spilotro be fired, and Police Supt. Larry Snelling agreed, and sought to have the Chicago Police Board fire him.

However, the status of that disciplinary proceeding was unclear, as the Illinois Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether officers like Spilotro who face serious misconduct cases have the right to ask an independent arbitrator, rather than the Police Board, decide their fate.

COPA also recommended Spilotro's partner, Officer Erik Arroyo, be suspended for 30 days over the chase, noting that he was still a probationary officer at the time, and his mistakes could be attributed to insufficient training.

After the crash, no firearms were found in the car. The driver, a 15-year-old, was charged with reckless homicide.