High court appears to favor police sued over chase

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court appears likely to rule for police officers in Arkansas who were involved in a car chase that ended with the deaths of the driver and his passenger.

No one on the court in arguments Tuesday seemed inclined to affirm an appeals court ruling allowing a civil lawsuit by the driver's daughter to proceed against six West Memphis police officers. They fatally shot driver Donald Rickard and passenger Kelly Allen in a chaotic scene on a Memphis street after a chase that began across the Mississippi River in Arkansas.

The lawsuit says police used excessive force. But several justices said the officers should be shielded from liability.

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