Police sued in shooting of Liberty teen-ager

Tuesday, February 8th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- A federal lawsuit seeking $20 million has been filed against the Jenks and Glenpool police departments in the August shooting death of a Liberty teen-ager. The lawsuit alleges that the shooting of 17-year-old Andrew James Ridgeway was "willful, arbitrary and shocking to the conscience of civilized society."

Ridgeway and Dusty Ray Cagle, 18, of Sand Springs were killed after fleeing police in a stolen pickup. The shootings came after a chase and a collision between the truck and patrol car. Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris said the shootings were justified.

According to Harris' report, the officers fired when the teens tried to run over an officer in the stolen truck. But the lawsuit filed Monday states that Cagle was trying to dislodge the truck from a fence post while "in obvious fear."

Jenks Officer Tim McDaniel fired 16 shots, the first coming when he was in front of the truck, and Glenpool Officer Tracey Powell fired seven times. Ridgeway, the passenger, was shot once in the head and once in the right arm. Cagle had gunshot wounds to the head and both thighs, according to the state medical examiner. McDaniel and Powell were named as defendants as well as the cities of Jenks and Glenpool and its police chiefs and police departments