ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando police say they’ve filed new charges against a man accused of leading police on a car chase that killed a pedestrian.
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According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 30-year-old Dornell Bargnare lost control of his vehicle after a traffic stop while trying to get away from an Orlando Police vehicle.
FHP said both Bargnare’s car and an unmarked OPD vehicle hit a pedestrian, who his family identified as 56-year-old Gerald Neal.
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Orlando Police stated the incident began with a traffic infraction investigation, though the agency hasn’t provided additional details.
In the days since his death, Neal’s family told Channel 9 they wondered why Orlando Police continued to chase Bargnare through a residential neighborhood.
According to Orlando Police Department policy, a vehicle chase is allowed “when the need to catch a suspect outweighs the danger of a pursuit.”
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The policy states officers can initiate a chase when they suspect the person has committed a forcible felony, including serious crimes like murder, armed robbery, armed sexual battery, and kidnapping.
A traffic infraction in and of itself would not be included in that list.
“Did the officer follow the policy? They’re going to find that out, believe me,” said Vince Champion with the International Brotherhood of Police Officers.
In this case, Champion told Channel 9 it’s too soon to determine whether OPD adhered to its chase policy.
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Per OPD policy, while a traffic infraction wouldn’t necessitate a chase, officers may have discovered something during the traffic stop that gave them cause to chase.
“A pursuit is not something that a police officer takes lightly,” said Champion, “We’ve probably canceled more pursuits than we’ve actually done.”
The Orlando Police Department said they will launch an internal investigation after FHP wraps their investigation into the traffic homicide.
So far, OPD has charged Bargnare with fleeing and eluding officers, burglary, and resisting officers without violence, which all stem from Bargnare’s attempts to escape police after he was pulled over for the traffic stop on February 12th.
Orlando Police said more charges could be coming.
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