Police chase turns deadly when officer and suspect both hit pedestrian, Florida cops say
A pedestrian died after a police chase when both the suspect being chased and the officer in pursuit struck the pedestrian, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The officer continued pursuing the suspect, now identified as 30-year-old Dornell Bargnare, according to state troopers.
Bargnare is charged with burglary and resisting an officer without violence, according to the Orlando Police Department. The officer hasn’t been identified.
The evening of Feb. 12, an officer with the Orlando Police Department was driving an unmarked Ford F-150 and pursuing Bargnare, who’s accused of fleeing the officer in a blacked-out car with no lights on, according to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol.
Bargnare made a sharp left turn and lost control of his car, which ran off the right side of the road and hit a 56-year-old man walking on the shoulder, troopers said.
The officer also made the left turn and ran off the shoulder, hitting the pedestrian with his front tire, according to the Highway Patrol.
Bargnare is accused of getting out of his car, which had also hit a utility pole, and running away on foot. The officer chased after him, troopers said.
Bargnare jumped fences, broke into a home and refused police’s initial requests to come out before ultimately surrendering, according to an arrest affidavit.
Officers took Bargnare into custody and the pedestrian was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to the Highway Patrol, which is the lead investigative agency.
“In light of the ongoing investigation, the Orlando Police Department has confirmed that once the traffic investigation is completed, OPD will conduct an internal investigation to determine if any policy violations occurred in connection with the incident,” Orlando police said in a statement.
Additional charges stemming from the crash are expected, troopers said.
This story was originally published February 13, 2025 at 3:51 PM with the headline "Police chase turns deadly when officer and suspect both hit pedestrian, Florida cops say."