flynjay
Registered
Copied this from my local message forum....apparently the bike was a Busa. I havn't confirmed it yet. Prayers to the trooper's family.
Trooper killed pursuing speeding motorcyclist
By MARK S. LUCKIE
Staff Writer
Last update: October 03, 2004
A state trooper from Palm Coast who only months ago rescued a driver from a burning vehicle was killed Saturday while pursuing a speeding motorcyclist just east of DeLand.
Darryl Haywood, 49, a four-year veteran of the Florida Highway Patrol, was killed after his patrol car skidded off Interstate 4 and crashed into a wooded area about five miles east of State Road.
"It's a sad day for FHP," the law-enforcement agency's director, Col. Christopher A. Knight, said at a press conference Saturday evening at the agency's DeLand headquarters.
FHP was alerted to be on the lookout for a Porsche and a motorcycle racing in the eastbound lane of the interstate at about 1:45 p.m. Saturday. Haywood spotted the two vehicles, but both drivers pulled away at a high rate of speed.
The Porsche escaped, but Haywood -- driving one of FHP's fastest cars -- continued to try to stop the motorcyclist, officials said. The motorcyclist sped away as Haywood skidded off the road. A trooper in St. Johns County eventually pulled the motorcycle over. The motorcyclist Donald Williams, 38, of Seffner was arrested and taken to a St. Johns County jail. He was charged with felony aggravated fleeing and eluding and may be charged for the death of Haywood, officials said.
A blue Audi was clipped by the trooper's Camaro as he veered off the road and the Audi came to rest several feet away from the squad car. The driver, 24-year-old Thomas Ezanchik of Daytona Beach, suffered minor injuries and was taken to Halifax Medical Center for medical complications, FHP spokeswoman Kim Miller said.
There were no witnesses at the scene.
The patrol car was in two pieces, one wrapped around a tree near the edge of the highway and the other several feet away in a soggy portion of the woods.
Fellow troopers stood along the highway, watching as crews removed the wreckage from the woods. Troopers at the scene refused to comment. Eastbound traffic was backed up for several miles for about four hours.
Haywood joined the Florida Highway Patrol in March 2000. He was previously an officer with the New York Police Department for 20 years. He is survived by a wife, two children and a grandchild.
Haywood is the 39th trooper to be killed in the line of duty since 1941, Knight said.
The last trooper who died in the line of duty was George A. Brown III on April 27 in Columbia County. Brown, better known as Andy, was a trooper in Volusia County for many years.
"It's tough on the organization when we lose a trooper in the line of duty," Knight said. "The whole agency mourns."
Haywood was selected as Trooper of the Month in July for rescuing a driver from a burning vehicle.
On July 25 at about 6:40 a.m., while on patrol on Interstate 95, he came upon a single-vehicle crash quickly approached the burning vehicle, broke out a window and removed the driver from danger.
"Trooper Haywood's quick actions helped save a life," a release from FHP stated.
Daytona Beach Police Sgt. Al Tolley also wrote a letter to Haywood's colonel commending Haywood for his "heartfelt concern" for Daytona Beach Police Cmdr. Lexie Williams after Williams' 20-year-old daughter, Alexis Williams, died in a car accident on U.S. 92 in February 2003. Haywood handled the investigation and accompanied Cmdr. Williams to Halifax Medical Center to identify his daughter.
That sentiment rang through in other letters to the Florida Highway Patrol. A DeLeon Springs woman in August 2001 described Haywood as a "thorough, understanding, caring professional" who helped her after she hit a cow in the road late at night.
"I cannot say enough good words to describe how great Trooper Haywood was on this most unusual situation and stressful situation for me," she wrote in the letter.
The chase was not a "pursuit," as defined by the FHP, but rather an "overtaking," a procedure in which a trooper tries to catch up to a vehicle whose driver is not aware he is being followed, Knight said.
The FHP's 2003 Camaros are faster than normal squad cars and are given to the top troopers in the agency, Knight said. The accident was the second in which one of the cars was involved. However, officials said it could not yet be determined whether the car was to blame.
Haywood had been driving the car for more than two years and completed eight hours of training in the car.
FHP has no information on the Porsche involved in the race and asked that anyone with information call the department, Knight said. The FHP number is (407) 737-2300.
Staff Writer Deborah Circelli contributed to this report.
Trooper killed pursuing speeding motorcyclist
By MARK S. LUCKIE
Staff Writer
Last update: October 03, 2004
A state trooper from Palm Coast who only months ago rescued a driver from a burning vehicle was killed Saturday while pursuing a speeding motorcyclist just east of DeLand.
Darryl Haywood, 49, a four-year veteran of the Florida Highway Patrol, was killed after his patrol car skidded off Interstate 4 and crashed into a wooded area about five miles east of State Road.
"It's a sad day for FHP," the law-enforcement agency's director, Col. Christopher A. Knight, said at a press conference Saturday evening at the agency's DeLand headquarters.
FHP was alerted to be on the lookout for a Porsche and a motorcycle racing in the eastbound lane of the interstate at about 1:45 p.m. Saturday. Haywood spotted the two vehicles, but both drivers pulled away at a high rate of speed.
The Porsche escaped, but Haywood -- driving one of FHP's fastest cars -- continued to try to stop the motorcyclist, officials said. The motorcyclist sped away as Haywood skidded off the road. A trooper in St. Johns County eventually pulled the motorcycle over. The motorcyclist Donald Williams, 38, of Seffner was arrested and taken to a St. Johns County jail. He was charged with felony aggravated fleeing and eluding and may be charged for the death of Haywood, officials said.
A blue Audi was clipped by the trooper's Camaro as he veered off the road and the Audi came to rest several feet away from the squad car. The driver, 24-year-old Thomas Ezanchik of Daytona Beach, suffered minor injuries and was taken to Halifax Medical Center for medical complications, FHP spokeswoman Kim Miller said.
There were no witnesses at the scene.
The patrol car was in two pieces, one wrapped around a tree near the edge of the highway and the other several feet away in a soggy portion of the woods.
Fellow troopers stood along the highway, watching as crews removed the wreckage from the woods. Troopers at the scene refused to comment. Eastbound traffic was backed up for several miles for about four hours.
Haywood joined the Florida Highway Patrol in March 2000. He was previously an officer with the New York Police Department for 20 years. He is survived by a wife, two children and a grandchild.
Haywood is the 39th trooper to be killed in the line of duty since 1941, Knight said.
The last trooper who died in the line of duty was George A. Brown III on April 27 in Columbia County. Brown, better known as Andy, was a trooper in Volusia County for many years.
"It's tough on the organization when we lose a trooper in the line of duty," Knight said. "The whole agency mourns."
Haywood was selected as Trooper of the Month in July for rescuing a driver from a burning vehicle.
On July 25 at about 6:40 a.m., while on patrol on Interstate 95, he came upon a single-vehicle crash quickly approached the burning vehicle, broke out a window and removed the driver from danger.
"Trooper Haywood's quick actions helped save a life," a release from FHP stated.
Daytona Beach Police Sgt. Al Tolley also wrote a letter to Haywood's colonel commending Haywood for his "heartfelt concern" for Daytona Beach Police Cmdr. Lexie Williams after Williams' 20-year-old daughter, Alexis Williams, died in a car accident on U.S. 92 in February 2003. Haywood handled the investigation and accompanied Cmdr. Williams to Halifax Medical Center to identify his daughter.
That sentiment rang through in other letters to the Florida Highway Patrol. A DeLeon Springs woman in August 2001 described Haywood as a "thorough, understanding, caring professional" who helped her after she hit a cow in the road late at night.
"I cannot say enough good words to describe how great Trooper Haywood was on this most unusual situation and stressful situation for me," she wrote in the letter.
The chase was not a "pursuit," as defined by the FHP, but rather an "overtaking," a procedure in which a trooper tries to catch up to a vehicle whose driver is not aware he is being followed, Knight said.
The FHP's 2003 Camaros are faster than normal squad cars and are given to the top troopers in the agency, Knight said. The accident was the second in which one of the cars was involved. However, officials said it could not yet be determined whether the car was to blame.
Haywood had been driving the car for more than two years and completed eight hours of training in the car.
FHP has no information on the Porsche involved in the race and asked that anyone with information call the department, Knight said. The FHP number is (407) 737-2300.
Staff Writer Deborah Circelli contributed to this report.
