At work, University of Houston student Abigail Trujillo's Nissan Altima was totaled by dozens of shots fired by Houston police trying to apprehend Jamarcus Spates. Houston denied her claim, but Mayor John Whitmire says he is making an exception and arranging a replacement.
Trujillo told the Houston Chronicle she still owes payments on the totaled car while trying to find a replacement, leaving her with a major financial burden. Whitmire says the city followed the law and is reviewing previously denied claims.
The dispute echoes Vicki Baker's case: a 2020 SWAT operation damaged her McKinney home while officers sought a fugitive. A jury awarded her about $60,000 in 2022, but the 5th Circuit reversed in 2023, citing an active emergency; this year, it confirmed her entitlement to $60,000 plus interest under the Texas Constitution, though her federal constitutional claim was denied. Courts disagree on when police-caused property damage requires compensation.
