There is little doubt that a tragedy occurred on October 7, 2024. There’s no denying that driver Tyrone Mason and two North Carolina state troopers committed terrible mistakes. However, Mason is no longer alive, and his bereaved family claims that the police officers who killed him have yet to face justice.
Tyrone Mason’s mistake
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Tyrone Mason, 31, drove down Capital Boulevard in Raleigh, North Carolina, early on October 7th. He was going more than 70 mph in a 40 mph zone. His BAC was 0.11.
North Carolina state trooper Garrett Macario pursued him after he passed his patrol cruiser. Mason probably noticed Macario’s lights and heard his sirens. But instead of pulling over, he accelerated. In less than a minute, Mason had reached 100 mph. At this point, Macario turned off his lights and sirens and slowed.
Then Macario caught up with Mason again after he lost control and crashed his automobile. Macario drove off the divided road and across the grass, attempting to make a quick U-turn. He returned to the crash site and promptly radioed for an ambulance. Then he got out of his car and did something different.
Garret Macario’s mistake
Macario also radioed Trooper Matthew Morrison. Morrison advised against mentioning your attempts to stop him. Simply say, ‘Hey, guy, I drove up on this,’ and leave it at that.
When Raleigh police arrived, Macario followed Morrison’s suggestion. “Were you, like, pulling him over or something?” What did Raleigh police officer R. Urena ask him? Macario replied, “No, this is a small area where I work…” I approached him, saw the smoke, and heard all of the cars colliding with the debris.
When tape of Macario and Morrison’s radio talk surfaced, the district attorney responded quickly. The office placed both officers on administrative leave. It also concluded that they couldn’t be trusted. It dropped 200 pending cases involving either trooper. However, it did not press criminal charges against them.
Mason’s family is demanding more action. The family’s counsel told the county, “You refuse to file charges against the killer cops.”
Judge Freeman agrees that the cops on administrative leave should lose their jobs because of their lying. However, he has not identified either “killer” as guilty of Mason’s death. The inquiry report concurred.
“Trooper Macario’s efforts to stop Mr. Mason do not give rise to any criminal violation. At the time Trooper Macario first observed Mr. Mason, Mr. Mason was traveling at a rate of speed over 70 miles per hour in a 40 mile per hour zone. Trooper Macario was taking appropriate traffic enforcement action when Mr. Mason failed to heed the patrol car’s blue lights and accelerated…Mr. Mason posed a public safety risk to other motorists on the road. While not known at the time, Mr. Mason was also impaired at the time of this incident, further increasing the risk he created to others. While Trooper Macario initially attempted pursuit of Mr. Mason, he quickly deactivated his blue lights and disengaged within forty-five seconds when he realized that Mr. Mason was at risk of wrecking. The totality of these factors leads to a finding that there was no criminal violation by Macario in his initial pursuit of Mr. Mason.”
— Investigation report
Want to learn more? The bodycam and dashcam footage from the incident are embedded below.
