Lawsuit claims police used excessive force in killing Washington County man

The father of a Washington County man fatally shot by police after a high-speed chase is suing the officers, claiming they used excessive force.

Eduardo Lee Hoover Sr. also accused police of lacking policies or failing to follow best practices when chasing his son, Eduardo Hoover Jr., two years ago.

Hoover filed the suit Monday in federal court in Pittsburgh against police officers, supervisors and municipal officials in Mt. Pleasant and Smith townships.

The lawsuit noted that an incident that grew out of a minor traffic violation, reckless driving, ended with the death of Hoover, a married father of three children, ages 4 to 11.

“He made no threats of violence to anyone at any time prior to, during or after the chase,” attorney Noah Geary wrote in the lawsuit. “There was also no indication that he was armed or had a weapon in his vehicle.”

Testing showed Hoover’s blood alcohol level was 0.279% — more than three times the legal limit for driving.

The Mt. Pleasant defendants include Officer Tyler Evans, Chief Matthew Tharp and Supervisors George Rice, Gary Farner and Shane Maga. Also named are Smith police Officer Michael Pasquale, Chief Bernie Larue and Supervisors Robert Cassidy, Timothy Green and Marie Ferguson.

The lawsuit includes claims for excessive and deadly force, as well as state-created danger. It includes allegations that Mt. Pleasant has a pattern of police chases ending in fatalities, with three such instances in the past three years.

Messages left Wednesday with the solicitors for those communities were not immediately returned.

No police footage

Hoover, 38, was killed on April 2, 2023, after 911 received a call that he had been driving recklessly after leaving his home in Burgettstown.

Evans and Pasquale were dispatched, the complaint said, and began to follow Hoover as other officers joined the chase along Routes 18 and 50.

The pursuit reached speeds of 80 mph and lasted 17 minutes, the lawsuit said.

When Hoover began to enter a more congested area on Jefferson Avenue in the City of Washington, he slowed down at least twice “which demonstrated a concern for the safety of others,” according to the lawsuit.

In the 600 block of Jefferson, Pasquale got in front of Hoover’s truck and Evans stopped behind him, blocking him in, the lawsuit said.

At some point — the lawsuit is unclear exactly when — Hoover panicked and backed his truck into Evans’ vehicle, according to the lawsuit.

At nearly the same time, Pasquale, who had gotten out of his vehicle, pointed his gun at Hoover and fired two shots into his truck, allegedly to disable it, the complaint said.

The lawsuit alleges that Pasquale escalated the situation and increased the risk of harm to Hoover.

Hoover pulled forward, striking a telephone pole, and then tried to drive away, the lawsuit said.

Evans fired two shots at Hoover, killing him. At the same time, Pasquale fired twice.

The lawsuit said Evans had been a police officer for 17 months, and Pasquale had been on the job for six years.

Pasquale, who was wearing a body camera, did not turn it on until after the shooting, the lawsuit said. His vehicle did not have a dashboard camera.

The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages, including for Hoover’s pain and suffering, funeral expenses, lost future wages and companionship of his children.

Dueling officials

Washington County Coroner Timothy Warco held an inquest and determined that Hoover’s shooting was not justified.

He recommended that charges of involuntary manslaughter be filed against Evans.

But the county district attorney, Jason Walsh, disagreed, finding the shooting was justified.

Walsh found that Hoover was driving without a license, almost struck two children and was using his 5,000-pound truck as a weapon.

Following the dispute between the two county officials, Walsh raided the coroner’s office, as well as that of the coroner’s solicitor, seizing the files on the Hoover case.