On December 31, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrested two people and recovered a missing teen during a traffic stop in western Flagler County.
Officers stopped a white Ford F150 on U.S. Highway 1 after receiving a report of suspicious activity. During the stop, they identified the driver as Darnell Hairston, 60, of Hastings, and two teenage passengers, one of whom was found to be a reported missing teen from St. Johns County.
For safety reasons, officers placed the missing teen in a patrol car while they interviewed the vehicle’s occupants. As the investigation progressed, Hairston fled on foot and during the struggle attempted to grab an officer’s firearm. He was subsequently arrested for violently resisting an officer and attempting to take a law enforcement officer’s firearm.
Hairston is also a registered sex offender and had previously been sentenced to 12 years in prison for false imprisonment and other charges.
During the incident, another passenger, Junior Bishop, 15, of Hastings, entered the truck and ran away, nearly colliding with an officer. Deputies pursued Bishop as he drove south on U.S. 1 and then west on State Road 100, leading to a dangerous oncoming traffic accident before the vehicle struck a deputy’s patrol car, causing both vehicles to hit tree lines and roll over.
Bishop was arrested on multiple charges, including aggravated fleeing and eluding, aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, reckless driving, driving without a valid license and resisting arrest without violence. The pursuit resulted in minor injuries to two officers, who were treated and released from AdventHealth Palm Coast. Despite the incident, Bishop was not injured.
Hairston and Bishop were both transported to the Sheriff’s Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility. Hairston is being held without bail pending his first court appearance, while Bishop will be processed and turned over to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice upon booking.
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