An Orlando police detective was suspended for 18 days this spring after an unauthorized high-speed pursuit last year ended with a bystander dead. The suspension, which the officer covered using his vacation time, has renewed calls for accountability from the victim’s family and pursuit-safety advocates.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Detective Christopher Moulton admitted in internal interviews that he intentionally did not report the chase to dispatch and did not activate his body-worn camera during the pursuit. Investigative files state Moulton told investigators he would have disengaged if he could do it over, and that he used vacation time so he would still be paid during the 18-day suspension.
How the Chase Turned Deadly
The pursuit began on Feb. 12, 2025, in the Holden Heights area after officers tried to stop a car with an unreadable license plate. The fleeing driver, 30-year-old Dornell Bargnare, jumped a curb, drove onto a sidewalk, and struck 56-year-old Gerald Neal before crashing into a light pole, killing Neal, according to ClickOrlando.
Body-worn camera video later obtained by reporters shows Moulton’s truck came to rest near Neal, and that other officers discovered someone beneath the patrol vehicle minutes after the collision, footage that immediately raised questions about whether the pursuit should have been launched in the first place, WFTV reported.
What Internal Investigators Found
Records obtained by local reporters show Orlando Police Department investigators sustained three policy violations against Moulton, including initiating an unauthorized pursuit and driving an unmarked vehicle at high speed, and recommended an 18-day suspension, according to WESH. The department said the discipline was handled in line with internal procedures and the Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights. In a sworn interview, Moulton told investigators he had “made a poor decision.”
Prosecutors Clear Detective, Target Fleeing Driver
The Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office reviewed the crash and concluded that the fleeing driver’s actions, not the detective’s pursuit, directly caused Neal’s death, so Moulton was not criminally charged, according to FOX 35. Prosecutors have charged Dornell Bargnare with vehicular homicide and related offenses, and court records show his trial is set for late July.
Public Outcry and the Road Ahead
Family members and pursuit-safety experts have blasted the punishment as far too light. A law-enforcement consultant who reviewed the records called the discipline “woefully inadequate,” and Neal’s relatives continue to push for transparency and civil accountability, as reported by WFTV. Bargnare’s criminal case is moving forward, and the episode has reignited a local debate over when officers should authorize vehicle pursuits in residential neighborhoods.
