Victim's family settles suit against city

SWAINSBORO - The family of a woman killed during a police chase last year has settled a lawsuit against the city and officer involved. <br> <br> The suit, filed in March, said the chase met none of the police department&#39;s rules about high-speed pursuits such as if the violator presents a clear and immediate threat to the public or the officer, or has committed a ``serious felony.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> LaShunda Freeman, 20, and Tracy Allen, 27, died on June 4, 2001. Patrol officer Lanier Griswold told authorities he clocked the motorcycle Allen was driving at 66 mph in a 35 mph zone. According to an accident report, Allen lost control while driving a motorcycle about 80 mph and drove into a ditch. The two were not wearing helmets. <br> <br> A Swainsboro Police Department internal investigation cleared Griswold of any major wrongdoing, though he was suspended with pay for about three weeks during the internal investigation. <br> <br> The settlement amount was not disclosed as part of a confidentiality agreement between Freeman&#39;s family and the city. <br> <br> ``The settlement is structured in a way that her son will be well taken care of for the rest of his life,&#39;&#39; said Marc Treadwell, the Freeman&#39;s Macon-based lawyer. <br> <br> Her 4-year-old son, Laquaves, is in the custody of his grandmother.