An investigation into the trooper and his supervisor has been conducted by the state of North Carolina, and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol has disclosed dashboard and body camera footage belonging to the trooper who was engaged in a pursuit and tragic crash that became the subject of the investigation.
Late on Friday afternoon, a court order was issued that allowed the film that belonged to Sgt. Garrett Macario to be disclosed. This came about as a result of a lawsuit filed by multiple news organizations, including WUNC, that demanded the release of the videos.
At approximately 2:30 in the morning on October 7, 2024, Sergeant Macario gave chase to Tyrone Mason, who was 31 years old, on Capital Boulevard close to West Peace Street in the central business district of Raleigh.
The footage from the body-worn camera demonstrates that Macario started a pursuit of Tyson, who was allegedly traveling at a speed of approximately 70 miles per hour in a zone at 40 miles per hour.
This caused Macario to give up the pursuit and turn off his sirens, which caused him to lose sight of Tyson just before he lost control of his vehicle and drove into a median, which ultimately resulted in his death.
Based on the film, it is evident that Macario made a phone contact to his superior, Sergeant Matthew Morrison, who instructed him to refrain from informing the Raleigh Police Department that he had initiated and terminated the pursuit before to Mason’s deadly collision. It was Macario who carried out his requirements.
A video was released by the State Highway Patrol and the Raleigh Police Department from the evening of October 7, 2024, when Tyrone Mason was killed in an automobile accident that included a single vehicle and occurred on Capital Boulevard close to the downtown area of Raleigh. These movies are primarily taken from the vehicle and body camera of Sgt. Garrett Macario, who is a member of the State Highway Patrol. A state inquiry was initiated as a result of interactions between Sgt. Garrett Macario and Sgt. Matthew Morrison, which are captured in the accompanying footage. Additionally, footage from the body camera kept by a member of the Raleigh Police Department was made public. Although WUNC has trimmed the length of the films, none of the footage have been altered in any way through editing.
The conclusions of a search warrant that was carried out by an agent of the State Bureau of Investigation and of an investigation that was conducted by the District Attorney of Wake County, who first indicated that the engaged trooper lied about his role in the deadly incident, are confirmed after the footage was revealed.
On the basis of the testimony provided by the troopers, District Attorney Lorrin Freeman dismissed roughly 200 traffic-related complaints that were still pending this year. This decision was made after the troopers investigated the matter and reviewed the tape. The judgment that Freeman made was for the reason that the credibility of the troopers had been challenged.
Freeman issued his decision on Wednesday, stating that the troopers should not be made subject to criminal liability.
According to a statement released by Mason’s family, the decision made by Freeman “flies in the face of accountability, justice, and common sense” and is considered an insult to their family.
In anticipation of the results of an internal investigation, the troopers have been placed on administrative leave.
Telling a trooper to lie about the accident
It is evident in the video that Mason’s vehicle is traveling at a high rate of speed and vanishing from Macario’s line of sight during the pursuit. This occurs just before the trooper turns a corner, at which point Mason’s vehicle is seen to be destroyed across the parallel lane.
After doing a U-turn and parking, Macario phoned Wake County Emergency Medical Services to the scene of the accident, and then he went to investigate the accident scene. Even though Mason was inside the wrecked truck, he did not make any attempt to check on him in a visible manner.
In the following step, Macario called Morrison on his mobile phone.
“So, this car passed me downtown at like, 70 in a 40, and I went to stop him,” Macario says to his supervisor about the incident that was captured on video. “He took off, and uh, I went ahead and disengaged.”
The response that Morrison gives is, “Please tell me that you are (expletive) joking.”
He was subsequently informed by Macario that he had disengaged from the pursuit after coming to the realization that “it was not a smart choice.”
“I’m not being, like, weird about it,” Macario added. “I’m serious.” “I didn’t feel it was a safe chase.”
“From what I can tell, it seems to be a problem with the RPD,” said Morrison. “I would not bring up anything to them about the fact that you are attempting to interrupt him… Absolutely, that is the issue with RPD. An profanity is not something I would say to them.
An inspection of the damaged vehicle is performed by Macario a few moments later, at which point Raleigh police arrive at the site. An individual who has been identified as Officer Urena approached Macario, who is a resident of Raleigh.
“Were you like, pulling him over or something?” Asking was Urena.
Macario responded with a shake of his head and said, “It’s just a little area that I work in.” According to the clip, “I came up on it and I saw the smoke and heard all of the cars hitting the debris on the ground.”
On May 16, Judge Thomas Currin of the Wake County Superior Court issued an order specifying that the footage be made available to the public.
During a court hearing that took place the previous week, Currin stated, “I do find that the release of these videos is necessary to advance a compelling public interest, specifically, confidence in law enforcement.”
DA has stated that there would be no charges, and the Mason family has filed a lawsuit.
Freeman stated in her conclusion that there were no legal grounds to criminally charge the implicated troopers, with the exception of their “dishonesty,” which she referred to as “inexcusable.”
She stated that Macario’s intention was not to obstruct justice, but rather “was to keep them from not having to manage the crash scene and do the crash reconstruction investigation,” Freeman had stated in her ruling.
Attorneys who represent the Mason family issued a statement in which they said, “Henrietta Mason is heartbroken once again.” “Not only has she had to bury her son, she has been failed repeatedly by the North Carolina State Troopers, the Raleigh Police and now Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman who all seem more interested in protecting a couple of liars than delivering justice for Tyrone Mason.”
A federal lawsuit has been filed by the Mason family, according to The News & Observer, in which the family is pursuing charges against the troopers who were involved.
It is the family’s contention that the troopers were seeking to conceal Mason’s death and that they did not provide assistance to him in a timely manner.
