On a Saturday afternoon in October, the life of 50-year-old Darryl Louis Haywood, a Black male, was cut tragically short. On October 2, 2004, while on duty as a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper in Volusia County, Florida, he was alerted to a Porsche and a motorcycle racing at speeds exceeding 150 miles per hour on Interstate 4. Responding to the call, Trooper Haywood located the two speeding vehicles.
As he attempted to intervene, both drivers accelerated in an attempt to flee.
While the Porsche managed to escape, Trooper Haywood continued his pursuit of the motorcycle. In the course of the high-speed chase, a tire on his Chevrolet Camaro patrol car blew out. This caused him to lose control of the vehicle, which then struck another car, overturned multiple times, and ultimately crashed into a tree. The impact of the collision was catastrophic, and Trooper Haywood died at the scene. He had been a member of the Florida Highway Patrol for four years, having previously served with the New York City Police Department for two decades, where he retired as a detective.
Later that same day, the driver of the motorcycle was apprehended by deputies from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Department. The suspect was subsequently charged with felony aggravated fleeing and eluding. Following a trial, on October 18, 2005, he was convicted of aggravated manslaughter, vehicular homicide, and fleeing and eluding a law enforcement officer causing a death. On December 2, 2005, the individual responsible for the events that led to the trooper's death was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
