The North Carolina State Highway Patrol released dashboard and body camera footage belonging to the trooper involved in a pursuit and fatal crash that has been the subject of a state investigation into the trooper and his supervisor.
The footage belonging to Sgt. Garrett Macario was released by a court order late Friday afternoon following a lawsuit from several news organizations including ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ seeking the release of the videos.
Sgt. Macario engaged Tyrone Mason, 31, in a brief chase on Capital Boulevard near West Peace Street in downtown Raleigh at about 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 7, 2024.
The body-worn camera footage shows that Macario initiated a chase of Tyson, who was allegedly speeding at about 70 mph in a 40 mph zone.
Macario then abandoned the chase and turned off his sirens, losing sight of Tyson before he lost control of his vehicle and crashed fatally into a median.
The footage reveals that Macario called his supervisor, Sgt. Matthew Morrison, who told him to avoid telling the Raleigh Police Department that he had started and stopped the chase before Mason crashed fatally. Macario followed his instructions.
The State Highway Patrol and Raleigh Police Department released video from the night of October 7, 2024, when Tyrone Mason died in a single-vehicle car crash on Capital Boulevard near downtown Raleigh. The clips are mostly from the vehicle and body camera of State Highway Patrol Sgt. Garrett Macario. The footage includes dialogue from Sgt. Garrett Macario and Sgt. Matthew Morrison that launched a state investigation. Body camera footage from a Raleigh Police Department officer was also released. The videos have been shortened by ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½, but no edits were made to any of the clips.
The footage confirms the findings of a search warrant executed by a State Bureau of Investigation agent and of a review by Wake County District Attorney, who first stated that the involved trooper lied about his role in the fatal crash.
District Attorney Lorrin Freeman dismissed nearly 200 pending traffic-related cases this year based on the troopers' testimonies after investigating the case and reviewing the footage. Freeman's decision was due to the troopers' credibility being compromised.
On Wednesday, Freeman ruled that the troopers should not be held criminally liable.
In a statement, Mason's family said Freeman's decision "flies in the face of accountability, justice and common sense" and called it an insult to their family.
The troopers have been put pending an internal investigation.
Trooper told to lie about crash
Mason's vehicle is seen speeding in the footage and disappearing from the view of Macario during the chase before the trooper turns a corner and Mason's vehicle is seen destroyed across the parallel lane.
After turning around and parking, Macario called Wake County EMS to the scene, then checked out the scene of the crash. He did not make an attempt to visibly check on Mason inside the destroyed vehicle.
Macario then dialed Morrison on his cell phone.
"So, this car passed me downtown, at like, 70 in a 40, and I went to stop him," Macario tells his supervisor in footage. "He took off, and uh, I went ahead and disengaged."
"Please tell me you're (expletive) joking," Morrison replies.
Macario then told him he disengaged from the chase once he realized "it was not a smart choice."
"I'm not being, like, weird about it," said Macario. "I didn't feel it was a safe chase."
"Sounds to me like it's RPD's problem," said Morrison. "I wouldn't mention anything to them about you trying to stop him ... Yeah, that's RPD's problem. I wouldn't say (expletive) to them."
Some moments later, Macario inspects the damaged vehicle and Raleigh police arrive to the scene. A Raleigh police officer identified as Officer Urena approached Macario.
"Were you like, pulling him over or something?" Urena asked.
Macario shook his head, and replied "It's just a little area I work. So, I came up on it and I saw the smoke and heard all the cars hitting the debris," according to the footage.
Wake County Superior Court Judge Thomas Currin issued an order for the footage to be released on May 16.
"I do find that the release of these videos is necessary to advance a compelling public interest, namely, confidence in law enforcement," Currin said in a court hearing last week.
DA says no charges, Mason family files lawsuit
In her decision, Freeman said there were not legal grounds to criminally charge the involved troopers aside from their "dishonesty" which she described as "inexcusable".
Macario's intent was not to obstruct justice, she said, but "was to keep them from not having to manage the crash scene and do the crash reconstruction investigation," Freeman said in her ruling.
"Henrietta Mason is heartbroken once again," attorneys representing the Mason family said in a statement. "Not only has she had to bury her son, she has been failed repeatedly by the North Carolina State Troopers, the Raleigh Police and now Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman who all seem more interested in protecting a couple of liars than delivering justice for Tyrone Mason."
The Mason family has filed a federal lawsuit seeking charges against the involved troopers, .
The family accuses the troopers of attempting to cover up Mason's death and not rendering aid to him in a timely manner.
