CLEVELAND — A 15-year-old teen is denying the charges placed against him for the death of 13-year-old Tamia Chappman during a police chase on Friday.
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court records show the teen, who 3News is not identifying, has been charged with murder, aggravated robbery, and robbery.
The denial of the charges is the juvenile equivalent of a not guilty plea. The teen has been remanded to the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Detention Center. There is no word yet on when the next court date will be.
According to Cleveland police, the ordeal began on Friday at around 3:20 p.m. at the Target on West 117th Street. A woman left the store and was carjacked by a teen at gunpoint. The boy took her car, but she was unhurt.
An off-duty police officer apparently witnessed the robbery and trailed the stolen car onto Interstate 90 eastbound. At this point, an on-duty supervisor from the division's second district took over, and a chase ensued all the way through the city and into East Cleveland. The chase ended near Euclid and Lakefront Avenues in East Cleveland when the alleged stolen vehicle crashed.
East Cleveland police say Tamia Chappman was walking home from school when she was struck.
On Sunday, family and friends gathered for the vigil to remember the young girl’s life, but the focus was on preventing any other injuries or deaths.
"This was a tragedy," her brother said. "A car chase gone wrong for no reason."
Chappman had nine other siblings and took care of each of them. Teachers remember her as a bright, young girl who had so much life ahead of her.