A Gary police officer is accused of colliding into another car with a city vehicle, according to a civil lawsuit filed in Lake County Superior Court.
Cpl. Joseph VonBank is included in the lawsuit that was filed on Nov. 28, 2025. The city of Gary and Gary Public Transportation Corporation are also included in the lawsuit, according to online court records.
Three plaintiffs — named Rozetha Hunter, Marcus McKinney and Jerome Greene — allege that VonBank crashed into a car they rode in at about 1:30 a.m. July 10, 2024, according to online court documents. The accident occurred at the intersection of Richard Gordon Hatcher Boulevard — formerly Grant Street — and West 23rd Avenue in Gary, according to court documents.
The lawsuit claims that VonBank “carelessly and negligently” failed to maintain a proper lookout, drove through a red light and caused the collision, failed to divert his vehicle to avoid the collision and “carelessly and negligently” failed to apply his brakes. The suit also accuses the driver of the 2016 brown Mazda 6 the plaintiffs were riding in — Valparaiso resident La Shei Renia Dates — of similar negligence. Dates is a defendant in the lawsuit along with the owner of the Mazda, Alexander Dorian.
Plaintiffs also allege that the city of Gary’s negligence led to the accident, including because VonBank is a city employee, and the lawsuit claims that the city is liable for his acts. The lawsuit also claims that the city failed to properly hire, supervise, train and retain VonBank.
The lawsuit also claims that the Gary Public Transportation Corporation failed to properly train VonBank in safe driving practices, defensive driving, compliance with traffic laws and operation of large passenger vehicles. He was driving a 2021 black Ford Explorer owned by the city, the complaint stated.
The plaintiffs asked for a jury trial, according to the complaint.
According to a Jan. 15 answer to the complaint, lawyer Michael Tolbert, on behalf of Tolbert & Tolbert Law Firm, the city confirmed that VonBank operated the vehicle “within the course and scope of his employment.” The city denied that they are liable for his actions.
Gary Police Chief Derrick Cannon said in an email Monday that he could not comment on the pending litigation and told the Post-Tribune to contact the city law department. A representative for Gary’s law department was unable to immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit alleges that the city of Gary failed to properly monitor or discipline VonBank for previous “unsafe or negligent conduct,” but it doesn’t list specific instances.
According to Post-Tribune archives, VonBank, in June 2025, testified that he helped city police respond three times on a night that a couple was shot dead and a third man was wounded on Gary’s west side.
City police did not respond to a question about if the shooting could’ve been prevented if the officers had found the alleged shooter after the first call, according to Post-Tribune archives.
The first call was for shots fired, and the second was for a disturbance, specifically a loud argument. VonBank testified that he talked to Derrick Pouncey — the alleged shooter — and Pouncey told him that no one was fighting.
A third call for multiple gunshot victims came in at about 3:20 a.m., according to Post-Tribune archives.
