ORLANDO, Fla. – Attorney Ben Crump will hold a news conference Thursday afternoon to call for transparency in the death of a man who was struck by a car being pursued by Orlando police two weeks ago.
The event at Ben Crump Law along S. Orange Avenue is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m.
The crash occurred around 7 p.m. on Feb. 12 at the intersection of Rio Grande Avenue and Indiana Street, troopers said.
According to a Florida Highway Patrol crash report, a man later identified as 30-year-old Dornell Bargnare was driving southbound on Rio Grande Avenue in a blacked-out 2012 Nissan Altima — i.e., no headlights or taillights — running from an unmarked Orlando police Ford F-150 when he attempted to make a sharp left turn onto Indiana Street. The Nissan ran off the roadway to the right, striking the bystander and a utility pole, the report states.
The pedestrian was also struck by a front tire of the Orlando police pickup when it traveled onto the south curbed shoulder of Indiana Street, according to FHP. He was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead, troopers said.
The law firm identified the man who died as Gerald Neal, 56, describing him as a widower who was experiencing homelessness. In a statement, the law firm claims that the police pursuit was reportedly initiated due to an unreadable license plate, adding questions are now being raised within Neal’s family and community about the necessity and safety of such pursuits.
The Orlando Police Department said in a statement that it would conduct an internal investigation after FHP finished theirs to determine if any policy violations occurred in connection with the incident. A “traffic infraction investigation” was underway before the crash, the statement reads.
Bargnare was arrested to face charges of burglary of a dwelling and resisting officers without violence. He had run from the wreck, jumped fences and attempted to hide in a property along Grand Street before eventually giving himself up, police said.
ClickOrlando.com will stream the news conference live at the top of this story.