Body-worn camera footage has captured a dramatic encounter between Flagler County deputies and two suspects, including a convicted sex offender, who attempted to flee after a missing juvenile was discovered in their vehicle.
The incident unfolded on Wednesday morning when deputies, responding to a citizen’s report of suspicious activity, conducted a traffic stop on U.S.-1 near Whiteview Drive. The driver, 60-year-old Darnell Hairston from Hastings, was found with two juvenile passengers, one of whom had been reported missing from St. Johns County.
Upon the discovery of the missing juvenile, deputies moved them to a patrol car, but the situation escalated when Hairston attempted to evade arrest. Body camera footage shows a deputy ordering Hairston to place his hands behind his back before he suddenly dashed away, running into traffic. He fell but was apprehended by deputies shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, the other juvenile, a 15-year-old boy, seized control of the truck during the chaos and sped off, nearly colliding with a deputy in the process.
A chase ensued, leading onto State Road 100, where events intensified as the truck swerved and rammed into a deputy’s vehicle, causing both to crash into a nearby treeline. Another deputy also crashed the ensuing pursuit into an auto repair shop in Bunnell, with both incidents resulting in minor injuries to two deputies.
The teen driver was arrested shortly after, facing multiple charges including reckless driving, aggravated assault on law enforcement, and aggravated fleeing. Hairston was charged with resisting a deputy with violence and attempting to grab a deputy’s gun during the arrest.
Although the exact relationship between Hairston and the juveniles remains unclear and no charges have been filed concerning it, law enforcement’s suspicion was heightened due to Hairston’s history. He is a registered sex offender with a child sex crime conviction from a St. Johns County case in 1998 and has past convictions involving false imprisonment.
This incident highlights the urgent importance of community vigilance and quick actions by law enforcement, resulting in the safe recovery of a missing juvenile and the apprehension of individuals involved in potentially dangerous circumstances.