The Maryland Attorney General has released dashcam footage from a fatal chase involving Charles County Sheriff’s Office back on March 11. The pursuit, which took place in Waldorf, is relatively short, but the ending is unarguably tragic.
Learn how a botched car repair allegedly led to a triple murder here.
Everything started at 4:05 am when the sheriff’s office received a report of a hit-and-run accident. Officers learned from a witness the identity of the driver who sped off, a 50-year-old Darrel Byrd, as well as a description of his vehicle.
An officer who was driving by the scene of the accident saw Byrd also drive by at 4:47 am, only he was behind the wheel of the truck you see in the video, not the vehicle he was in during the hit-and-run. When officers pulled up behind him, Byrd did get off the road, only to speed off, beginning the chase.
What he didn’t calculate for was there would be cops all over the place looking for him. While he was able to slip away from one officer who thought he was going to give up twice, another one was able to jump into the chase, likely shocking the man.
As you’ll see in the video, Byrd misjudged the cornering capability of his pickup truck. Being tall with a high center of gravity, plus a suspension tuned for towing/hauling, they’re a far cry from a sports car. This is why we completely change our driving style when behind the wheel of a truck, as everyone should.
Byrd died at the scene of the accident from unspecified injuries. Considering the amount of damage we see done to his truck, it’s no wonder. Had he just pulled over after driving past the scene of his earlier crime, the man would still be alive today.
It’s always sad to see when a suspect believes running from the police is preferable to just having their day in court, only for the chase to end in their fatality. While some people instantly blame law enforcement whenever this happens, the fact is they don’t force anyone to run instead of pulling to the side of the road.
Watch the video for yourself (warning: graphic) here.
Does the crime justify the results
We see this far to often now. Get the suspect “at all costs”!