Warrants: Trooper denied chasing Raleigh driver who died in October crash
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- ABC11 obtained search warrants that reveal details around what led to the death of Tyrone Mason. On Oct. 7, Raleigh Police initially reported that Mason, 31, was traveling at a high rate of speed along Capital Boulevard and lost control of his vehicle.
According to search warrants, District Attorney Lorrin Freeman, along with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, launched an investigation into a traffic accident.
"From day one, when they came to me and told me my son died in a single-car accident. I told them that is not true," said Mason's mother.
His mother said that her son was the father of five children. She is still in disbelief about her son's death. The family retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump as they sought justice in the case.
"They would not have dismissed those cases if there were not something on the video from the dash cam and from the body cam that was just God-awful," said Crump.
According to warrants, investigators say state trooper Garret Macario attempted to stop Mason before the crash. The documents stated that at 2:32 that morning, Macario's body cam shows him making a phone call to his supervisor, Sgt. Matthew Morrison. Morrison allegedly asked whether he had called in a vehicle chase over the radio, and Macario said no.
Morrison then told Macario that the traffic accident was the Raleigh Police Department's problem before advising him not to tell officers that he tried to stop Mason before the crash.
When Raleigh officers arrived, investigators allege that Macario was asked if he had tried pulling over Mason before the accident. Macario allegedly said no and told the officer that he came up on the wreck and saw smoke and debris coming from the vehicle.
The district attorney dropped nearly 200 pending cases involving both troopers, and they remain on administrative leave.
"We are currently reviewing the investigation and hope to be done with our review by the end of the month," Freeman told ABC11 in a statement.
ABC11 reached out to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol for comment but has not heard back.
