Former Los Angeles Lakers player and Atlanta native Javaris Crittenton had been out of prison for less than two months and was looking to find work supporting young basketball players when law enforcement came crashing back into his life — literally.
Crittenton was sitting at a stop sign when a Fulton County police officer and a suspect he was chasing crashed into Crittenton’s car, seriously injuring him, according to a lawsuit seeking millions from the county and its police department.
The basketball star, who also played for Georgia Tech, spent 10 years in custody after he fired at a man during a shootout that killed a woman caught in the crossfire in August 2011. Sentenced in Fulton County to 23 years in jail, Crittenton was released early in April 2023 after a judge ruled he had learned from his mistakes.
Seven weeks after his release, Crittenton was driving his Mercedes SUV on Campbellton Road in Atlanta when he was hit by another driver and a Fulton County police officer in pursuit, according to his lawsuit.
Crittenton’s complaint, filed Wednesday in the Fulton County Superior Court, claims the officer involved in the wreck was negligent and reckless and that the county and its police department are liable. The lawsuit follows several notices Crittenton sent county officials in 2023 and 2024 outlining his case, including its estimated value of more than $2 million.
“Two million (dollars) might be low, given Mr. Crittenton’s value and his potential earning capacity,” Robbin Shipp, an attorney for Crittenton, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday.
Shipp said that at the time of the crash, Crittenton was pursuing and being approached about opportunities to work in the basketball industry with developing young talent. She said the crash affected Crittenton’s ability to accept offers of employment in that direction.
“He needs surgery on his back,” Shipp said. “He has nerves pushing on his spine. The surgery is going to be the only thing that’s really going to alleviate the pain.”
Shipp said Crittenton also has headaches and “neurological challenges” as a result of hitting his head several times in the crash. She said he was temporarily hospitalized after the wreck and has been receiving medical treatment for his injuries since.
A spokesperson for Fulton County declined to comment on the case.
Crittenton, an Atlanta resident, was stopped at a stop sign when the crash occurred, Shipp said. She said the police officer was chasing a different driver suspected of committing several crimes.
“The officer attempted a bump stop and this caused the suspect to run into Mr. Crittenton,” Shipp said. “And then the officer ran into Mr. Crittenton.”
No one was with Crittenton in his car, which was totaled, Shipp said. She said the estimated value of Crittenton’s case takes into account his medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and diminished abilities.
In his complaint, Crittenton claims the officer was reckless and used excessive force and speed when improperly pursuing the fleeing driver in congested traffic, creating a danger to the public. He says the county and its police department are liable as the officer’s employers.
Crittenton also brought negligence claims against the fleeing driver, who was prosecuted in relation to the incident, court records show.
In 2015, Crittenton was sentenced to 23 years in the fatal shooting of Julian Jones, a mother of four, after pleading guilty to charges including voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault. He had already served some time prior to trial.
After the plea and sentencing, then-Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard agreed to a reduced sentence if Crittenton could demonstrate he had learned from his mistakes. Crittenton’s attorney in the criminal case, Brian Steel, said Crittenton would work to help keep young people away from drugs, gangs and crime.
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