Tulsa, OK — Smolen Law | The Alpha Firm, representing the families of Lanise Dade and her 13-year-old daughter, Cameya Miller, has released deposition testimony from Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Mark Warren, who has served since 1986, in the wrongful death lawsuit stemming from a February 25, 2021 high-speed chase that left both mother and daughter dead and sent a young boy to the hospital.
The lawsuit, filed in Wagoner County District Court (Case No. CJ-2022-28), alleges that Eagle Redi-Mix negligently left its vehicle unattended, which was then stolen, and that Trooper Mark Warren recklessly engaged in a dangerous pursuit through busy city streets, ultimately leading to the fatal collision.
According to court filings, the chase lasted more than 13 minutes, spanned over 15 miles, and reached speeds of over 100 miles per hour through Tulsa city streets. At one point, the suspect drove the wrong way down 41st Street before ultimately running a red light and crashing into the victims’ vehicle. Lanise Dade and her 13-year-old daughter, Cameya Miller, were killed instantly. Lanise’s 12-year-old nephew, D.J., survived but was trapped in the wreckage beside their bodies for nearly an hour before being pulled out and rushed to the hospital.
The driver of the stolen truck was only 14 years old, a minor, not a violent criminal. Yet Trooper Warren escalated the situation into a deadly high-speed chase through residential areas, in violation of Oklahoma Highway Patrol policy requiring officers to weigh the seriousness of the suspected crime against the risks to the public. Even more disturbing, Warren testified that he does not feel responsible for the deaths of Lanise and Cameya. In his deposition, Trooper Warren stated:
“It breaks my heart to even think about it. Which I do every day.” But despite this admission, Warren acknowledged he did not know the victims’ names and admitted he never looked inside the Tahoe after the deadly crash, explaining that he didn’t check on the victims “because he had the suspect on the ground.” Warren was the first law enforcement officer on the scene, the first capable person in position to render aid, yet he chose not to. Instead, he restrained a 14-year-old suspect who was injured. He later testified that he only learned Lanise and Cameya were dead when other officers came up and told him.
Adding to the outrage, Warren was not just any trooper. He was serving on OHP’s pursuit review board, where he was tasked with reviewing vehicle chases, analyzing whether policy was followed, and ensuring procedures were not violated. He was directly involved in evaluating the same types of pursuits that led to this tragedy. Even more troubling, Warren has a history of disciplinary issues within law enforcement dating back to the 1990s, raising serious questions about why he was allowed to remain in a position of public trust for decades.
Warren admitted under oath that policy requires troopers to weigh the seriousness of the crime against the risk to the public. Yet he testified that he was trying to “take out the suspect at all costs,” a mentality that directly endangered innocent lives and violated the very duty he swore to uphold. His deposition makes clear that he went against Oklahoma Highway Patrol protocol at nearly every turn. He claimed he wasn’t trained to use available tools such as GPS or OnStar to disable the stolen vehicle and attempted to blame his captain for not calling off the pursuit. He further acknowledged that the crash occurred during the 1 p.m. lunch hour, one of the busiest traffic times of the day and admitted that driving at over 120 miles per hour through city streets with pedestrians present was reckless driving. Yet he did it anyway, endangering himself, the suspect, and the public. Most disturbing of all, Warren testified that he does not feel responsible for the deaths of Lanise Dade and her 13-year-old daughter, Cameya Miller.
The Amended Petition details additional failures:
“Lanise and Cameya, were not faceless strangers, they were a mother and child whose lives were cut short by negligent decisions. This was no violent criminal on the run, it was a 14-year-old boy in a stolen truck. Trooper Warren admits the victims were innocent, yet he ignored them and still claims he isn’t responsible. That speaks volumes. This was preventable, and accountability is long overdue.” — Donald E. Smolen II
Smolen Law, PLLC, is a Tulsa-based firm dedicated to fighting for victims of negligence, civil rights violations, catastrophic injury, and wrongful death. With a proven record of standing up to powerful institutions, the firm pursues justice for families whose lives have been forever altered by preventable tragedies.
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