Raleigh Police Department sides with media in bodycam petition
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
In a rare move for law enforcement, Raleigh police filed a motion Wednesday backing Axios and North Carolina media outlets in their petition for a state trooper's bodycam and dashcam footage related to a fatal October crash.
Why it matters: The motion could strengthen the media outlets' chances of obtaining the footage, which may clarify what happened in a case where, per a search warrant affidavit, trooper Garrett Macario allegedly lied about his involvement in the crash and covered it up at the urging of his supervisor.
Driving the news: On behalf of the Raleigh Police Department and its chief, the city of Raleigh moved Wednesday to join the media outlets in asking a judge to release Macario's body camera and dashboard camera footage.
- The city of Raleigh, whose police officers responded to the October wreck, also noted that it has not been provided copies of the footage from the State Highway Patrol.
The big picture: The city noted that "there has been significant media interest and public concern" in the case after Wake County district attorney dismissed in January nearly 200 court cases in which Macario or his supervisor, Sgt. Matthew Morrison, were a witness, citing their credibility.
- "The release of the recordings sought is necessary to serve a compelling public interest in promoting transparency and accountability surrounding the circumstances that led to those dismissals," the city wrote in its petition.
Catch up quick: A warrant, first reported by WRAL, revealed this week for the first time what the warrant said was Macario's role in the October crash.
- In a search warrant application, State Bureau of Investigation special agent M.T. Holcomb stated that Macario's bodycam footage shows he attempted to stop 31-year-old Tyrone Mason at around 2:30am on Oct. 7, but "disengaged based on the circumstances of Mason's driving behaviors."
- Mason then hit a median on Capital Boulevard after traveling at a "high rate of speed" and "died as a result of his injuries," the police department said at the time.
- Macario parked his cruiser and requested RPD, fire and EMS, then made a call to Morrison, the agent said.
- Morrison told Macario that the accident was "RPD's problem" and that Macario should not tell responding RPD officers that he had tried to stop Mason just before the wreck, the agent said in the document.
- According to the agent, Macario ultimately told an RPD officer that "he was not trying to pull Mason over and that he came up on the wreck."
- Macario and his attorney declined to comment on the warrant Tuesday, and Morrison could not be reached for comment.
How it works: Bodycam and dashcam footage are restricted from public access in North Carolina unless a court orders its release.
What's next: A judge ordered the Raleigh Police Department and State Highway Patrol to produce video footage and other recordings related to the crash by May 8 for confidential review, and a hearing in the case is scheduled for May 16.