Racing death suspects charged

Police say Waldorf men were also in race when one hit crowd

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo File photo by GARY SMITH Buck Proctor and Cassandra Butler of Waldorf share a quiet moment at a tribute in February held after the fatal street racing crash. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

A grand jury indicted Darren Jamar Bullock, 21, the driver who allegedly plowed into the crowd of hundreds watching the 3 a.m. races on Indian Head Highway, as well as Tavon J. Taylor, 18,who was allegedly racing against Bullock at the time.

Both men were holding their own illegal drag race on Route 210 when they hit the crowd of spectators watching another match, prosecutors said.

The two men are being charged with eight counts of vehicular manslaughter, one for each of the dead victims, as well as reckless driving and participating in an illegal speed contest.

‘‘This was a death caused by cars racing up 210,” Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Glenn F. Ivey said at a news conference in Upper Marlboro announcing the indictments. Bullock and Taylor were expected to be arrested this week.

The charges come after a six-month investigation into the incident, one of the deadliest motor crashes in the region’s history. The rural roads in Southern Maryland have been a frequent gathering spot for racing fans for years, but arrests are rare.

A crowd of about 200 people gathered at Route 210 that night to watch the cars and drivers, prosecutors said. Witnesses at the scene said two racing cars kicked up smoke and dust when they pulled away and crowd members moved into the two-lane road to watch the race.

But as that race was running, Bullock and Taylor were allegedly holding a race of their own up the road, misjudged the distance they would need to race and came into contact with the crowd on the highway as they were decelerating, according to a source familiar with the investigation. While Taylor allegedly was able to avoid pedestrians, Bullock’s car allegedly struck members of the crowd and swerved into more members when he tried to steer off the highway, the source said.

Taylor was charged in 2007 in Charles County with unsafe passing in his vehicle and speeding, according to court records. Bullock was charged in Charles County in May with unauthorized removal of property and was scheduled for a trial Friday on two charges of theft of less than $500 in a separate case.

Bullock’s attorney did not return a call for comment by press time Tuesday. Taylor could not be located.

Ervin Gardner, 39, of Oxon Hill; Daryl Wills, 38, of Clinton; Maycol Lopez, 20, of Gaithersburg; Otis Williams, 35, of Indian Head; Milton Pinkney, 41, of Aquasco; Blaine Briscoe, 49, of La Plata; William Gaines, 61, of Nanjemoy and Mark Courtney, 34, of Leonardtown were all killed in the crash.

Eight other spectators were injured.

Witnesses at the race claimed Bullock’s car did not have its headlights on. Organizers allegedly held up the first race until Bullock and Taylor agreed to turn off their headlights to keep from distracting the other racers, the source said, so the men allegedly decided to stage their race in the dark.

‘‘As far as we know, they were looking in the opposite direction, and did not see the cars coming,” said Ivey, who would not provide details on the circumstances of the accident.

In Maryland, vehicular manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. To prove their case, prosecutors would have to show that the drivers acted in ‘‘a grossly negligent manner.”

Ivey declined to identify the drivers of the primary race that Bullock and Taylor allegedly drove into, as well as organizers of the gathering.

All could potentially face charges in the future.

‘‘I’m not going to rule it out,” said Ivey, who said his prime concern was charging the individuals directly involved in the deaths. ‘‘This was the top priority.”

Evidence in the case will likely include security camera footage taken at the Beretta gun factory near the site of the crash. Ivey said that cameras there shot time-lapsed footage of the gathering that will likely be used in court.

Investigators interviewed more than 70 people during the investigation, which Ivey said made progress slow at first.

‘‘There’s a certain attachment to street racing in Southern Maryland that I admit I did not know about,” he said. ‘‘But people need to understand how dangerous this activity can be.”