VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood has apologized to a family after deputies used stop sticks on the wrong vehicle.
Chitwood said during a news conference Wednesday that deputies thought they were rolling up on a violent fugitive. But instead, it was a family from Palm Coast with their frightened 8-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter in the back seat.
The incident happened Sunday night along I-95 north and north U.S. 1 in Ormond Beach.
The deputies did not have on their body cameras during the pursuit, but it was turned on after the crash.
Body camera video from Deputy Stephen Corbin showed he spoke with the family afterward and apologized. Corbin explained that they were trying to arrest Darius Davis, who investigators said may have been involved in a domestic incident. When deputies tried to question Davis, he sped off and nearly struck a Daytona Beach police officer, investigators said.
"It happened so fast. It was stop sticks that hit your car. Your car came over and that was the information that was relayed. That's why people came to you with guns drawn. I apologize," Corbin said.
Davis was driving a gray 2004 Ford Escape. The family was in a dark blue 2005 Ford Escape, deputies said.
Deputies and Ormond Beach police followed Davis onto Interstate 95 as he kept heading north. Deputies deployed their stop sticks, which punctured the family's vehicle's tires and disabled it, investigators said.
Chitwood said the two vehicles looked very similar and with everything happening so fast, it was tough to tell them apart.
The deputy offered the family food and stayed with them an hour until the wrecker arrived, Chitwood said. The deputy drove them to their Palm Coast home as well.
The sheriff says the family plans to sue the county.
“We knew we made a mistake and we tried to do everything we can to make that mistake correct. Some people don’t want to hear that, and I get that,” Chitwood said.
Davis’ vehicle also hit the stop sticks and he was arrested.
The family was not hurt but did not want to talk about what happened. The family’s lawyer has not returned calls from Eyewitness News for comment.
An internal investigation has been launched into the stop sticks being deployed by mistake and why the body cameras were not on at the time, Chitwood said.
"I don't see they did anything malicious. I don't see they did anything wrong intentionally. Mistakes happen when you're out there," Chitwood said.
The sheriff said he plans to reimburse the family for the damage to their car, but he has not said how much that will cost the county.
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