Family sues city after 6-year-old killed in Coral Springs police pursuit crash
Harlow Tran was 6 years old when she was killed during a 2024 Coral Springs police pursuit. Now, a new lawsuit filed by her family seeks to hold the city accountable.
On May 5, 2024, a Coral Springs Police officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop on Chevon Graham for overly tinted windows in the 8500 block of W. Sample Road, records show.
Graham, 26, who was found to be driving on a suspended license, fled westbound. According to Graham’s arrest report, the officer was following department policy when he “shut off his emergency lights and sirens and was attempting to make a 90 degree turn” as Graham approached 85th Avenue.
At the same time, Harlow was on her way home with her great-grandmother in a Chevrolet Traverse. Graham’s Mercedes-Benz struck the SUV at the intersection.
The impact split the SUV in half, launching a portion of it into a line of nearby palm trees, photos and videos show. Harlow, still strapped into her car seat, was ejected with a portion of the SUV’s back half and died from her injuries.
Surveillance footage captured the officer’s vehicle arriving on the scene seconds later.
Tran’s parents, Danny Tran and Samari Curbello, allege that the officer’s pursuit of Graham was unreasonable given the nonviolent alleged crime and known risk to public safety, risks that they say were realized in the collision that caused Harlow’s fatal injuries.
Tran and Curbelo are seeking damages in excess of $50,000, to cover medical and funeral expenses, as well as mental pain and suffering, under Florida’s Wrongful Death Act.
The Coral Springs News reached out to city officials for comment on April 22 but didn’t receive an immediate response.
Under Florida’s Wrongful Death Act, attorneys wrote, the city can be held responsible for the consequences of the officer’s actions, including financial responsibility for medical and funeral costs, as well as personal damages and other expenses.
Harlow loved her cats, swimming “like a mermaid” during the summer, going to Disney World, and playing Pokemon Go, Mario Party and Mario Kart with her family and friends, according to her obituary.
The Village Green Park Little Free Library was dedicated in Harlow’s name and decorated with her drawings in January 2025. According to posts and records from the city, former Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen led the effort.
“Words can’t adequately describe the joy that filled a room shared with Harlow,” a GoFundMe for the family reads. “She was funny, kind, beautiful, intelligent beyond words, and her absence leaves a gap that could never be filled.”
Graham’s case is still pending in Broward County court, following a series of bond hearings, re-arrests and attorney withdrawals. His court date is scheduled for May 15.
