{"id":1132,"date":"2026-05-19T18:36:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T18:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1132"},"modified":"2026-05-19T18:36:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T18:36:10","slug":"orlando-cop-gets-18-day-suspension-for-chase-ending-in-homeless-mans-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1132","title":{"rendered":"Orlando cop gets 18-day suspension for chase ending in homeless man\u2019s death"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Orlando police officer whose improper high-speed vehicle chase last year led to the death of a homeless man sitting on a sidewalk curb was handed an 18-day suspension after admitting he knowingly violated his department\u2019s pursuit policy.<\/p>\n

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Detective Christopher Moulton received his discipline in March, two months after the conclusion of the Orlando Police Department\u2019s internal investigation surrounding the Feb. 12, 2025, chase of Dornell Bargnare in Holden Heights over an unreadable license plate. Moulton was allowed to use vacation time to cover the suspension, meaning he did not sacrifice any pay.<\/p>\n

The details of his punishment were revealed in records released to the news media earlier this month, and was first reported by WFTV. Moulton\u2019s was the second fatal violation of OPD\u2019s pursuit policy in recent years, following the 2023 death of young mother Delmy Alvarez at the end of a high-speed pursuit over a red-light violation.<\/p>\n

In the latest incident, Gerald Neal, 56, a homeless man living in the area, was sitting near a curb on Indiana Street when the fleeing Bargnare made a sharp left turn from Rio Grande Avenue, striking Neal before crashing into a utility pole. Moulton arrived shortly after, and was seemingly unaware that Neal became pinned beneath his unmarked truck as he chased Bargnare on foot.<\/p>\n

Among the records released by OPD was a transcript of Moulton\u2019s interview, in which he revealed he purposely did not report the chase to dispatchers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not?\u201d an investigator asked.<\/p>\n

Moulton replied, \u201cI would\u2019ve violated department policy to pursue the vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n

The investigation further found Moulton did not turn on his body-worn camera, or BWC, as the chase was happening. However, the camera was designed to capture and retain footage one minute prior to it being activated, which it ultimately was during Moulton\u2019s foot pursuit of Bargnare.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

That video, the Orlando Sentinel first reported, showed Moulton turning on and later turning off his emergency lights. According to the transcript of his deposition with Bargnare\u2019s attorneys, Moulton claimed he did so because the pursuit had ended. However, he continued to drive up to 90 mph to follow Bargnare as he tried to escape.<\/p>\n

OPD said Moulton\u2019s discipline is \u201cconsistent with law enforcement agencies across Central Florida and throughout the state.\u201d The Orlando officer involved in Alvarez\u2019 death received a 40-hour suspension.<\/p>\n

Investigators sharply criticized Moulton\u2019s actions in their memo outlining his discipline.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis decision\u201d to not call in the chase \u201cwas an intentional and deliberate effort to circumvent Department policy,\u201d the memo said. It later added, \u201cThe failure to activate the BWC during a critical incident involving a pursuit and subsequent fatality is a serious violation that undermines transparency, accountability and public trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

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OPD generally prohibits pursuits by officers unless there is reasonable suspicion of a forcible felony, which is defined by a list of crimes that don\u2019t include basic traffic infractions. Unmarked vehicles are only allowed to give chase \u201cwhen marked units are not readily available.\u201d OPD also requires lights and sirens remain on during the pursuit.<\/p>\n

If given the chance to do things differently, Moulton told investigators, \u201cI would\u2019ve never tried to stop the vehicle at all and then \u2026 I would\u2019ve stopped my vehicle and disengaged, turned off my lights, driven the opposite direction [and] called out the failure to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neal\u2019s family said he decided to live homeless amid his grief following the deaths of his wife, son, mother and brother over a yearlong span, and was only on the street for two weeks before he was killed.<\/p>\n

After Neal was killed, his family retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump in their search for answers about what happened that night. A spokesperson for Crump\u2019s law firm did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.<\/p>\n

Bargnare currently faces charges of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a crash. However, Moulton, who has been with OPD since 2018, will not be criminally charged for his role in that incident after the Orange-Osceola State Attorney\u2019s Office determined Bargnare caused Neal\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

A memo released by the state attorney\u2019s office cited legal precedent to conclude Moulton\u2019s policy violations could not be used against him in a criminal case, while Florida law is silent on which vehicles may conduct pursuits or \u201cwhen or how a pursuit must be terminated.\u201d<\/p>\n

The remaining legal avenue, prosecutors concluded, would be for the family to bring a civil lawsuit against the officer, which has not been announced. Bargnare, meanwhile, is scheduled to be tried in July.<\/p>\n

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The Orlando police officer whose chase of a man fleeing a traffic stop last year ended in the death of 56-year-old Gerald Neal was handed an 18-day suspension.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime-and-public-safety","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nOrlando cop gets 18-day suspension for chase ending in homeless man\u2019s death - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1132\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Orlando cop gets 18-day suspension for chase ending in homeless man\u2019s death - 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