The situation began innocuously enough when the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office received a tip-off from a concerned citizen about “suspicious activity.” This prompted deputies to initiate a traffic stop on Wednesday morning along U.S.-1, near Whiteview Drive.

Behind the wheel of the vehicle was 60-year-old Darnell Hairston from Hastings. Alongside him were two juvenile passengers, one of whom had been reported missing from St. Johns County.

Once the missing juvenile was safely placed in a patrol car, the situation took a dramatic turn. Body-worn camera footage showed deputies focusing their attention on Hairston and a teenager, the remaining occupants of the truck.

In a surprising twist, as a deputy approached Hairston to place him under arrest, he made a sudden dash to evade capture. He wasn’t alone in his flight, marking a tense moment for law enforcement.

As a deputy approaches Hairston and orders him to put his hands behind his back, Hairston suddenly runs away. And he’s not the only one.

As Hairston runs into the right lane of U.S.-1, he trips before being tackled by deputies. As he is restrained, the truck he was driving speeds off, nearly running over a deputy’s leg. FCSO said the other juvenile, a 15-year-old boy, had jumped behind the wheel during the chaos.

A chase ensued along the highway, and then westbound onto State Road 100, FCSO said.

Dashcam video shows a deputy’s car pass the truck on the left and get in front, attempting to force a stop. The truck then briefly crosses into the opposing lane before ramming the deputy’s car from the left, causing them both to crash into the treeline.

Another deputy also crashed during the pursuit, hitting an auto repair business in Bunnell. Two deputies suffered minor injuries, FCSO said.

The teen was arrested shortly after for numerous charges, including reckless driving, aggravated assault on law enforcement and aggravated fleeing, according to FCSO. Hairston was arrested for resisting a deputy with violence and allegedly trying to take a deputy’s gun during the takedown.

The relationship between the two juveniles and Hairston was not yet made clear Wednesday and no charges were immediately filed relating to it, but Hairston’s criminal history made law enforcement suspicious. 

Hairston is a registered sex offender with a child sex crime conviction from a 1998 St. Johns County case. He was also sentenced to prison in Florida more than twenty years ago for three counts of false imprisonment.

“This was a very suspicious incident that is still under investigation by our detectives, but I am thankful that nobody was seriously hurt and that we were able to recover a missing child from this pervert’s grasp,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “I also do not understand why a pervert who was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2004 was released after only five years in 2009. Clearly, he has not learned anything!”