(MIAMI) — University of Miami football player Adarius Hayes has been arrested and charged with vehicular homicide following a monthslong investigation into a car crash that killed three people in Florida, police said Friday.
Hayes, 20, turned himself into the Largo Police Department and was transported to the Pinellas County Jail on Friday, police said.
Hayes was “traveling at a high rate of speed and maneuvering aggressively through traffic” shortly before colliding with another vehicle on May 10, Largo police said.
Three people, including two children, were killed in the crash, police said.
The two-vehicle crash occurred at an intersection in Largo, police said. Hayes was driving a Dodge Durango, which collided with a Kia Soul that was “lawfully executing a left-hand turn,” police said.
“It was discovered during the investigation that approximately five seconds prior to the fatal crash, Hayes made a rapid and dangerous maneuver, changing lanes from the curb lane to the median lane, crossing three lanes of traffic while overtaking other vehicles,” the Largo Police Department said in a press release. “Moments later, Hayes abruptly re-entered the curb lane, again crossing all three lanes without signaling.”
A search warrant on Hayes’ vehicle determined that he was traveling 78.9 mph in a 40 mph zone at the time of the crash, police said.
Two children who were traveling in the backseat of the Kia Soul were ejected from the car and were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The driver of the Kia Soul was transported with life-threatening injuries to an area hospital, where she died the following day, police said.
An adult front passenger in the Kia Soul was taken to a hospital with serious injuries and survived, police said.
Officers spoke with multiple eyewitnesses and reviewed video surveillance as part of their investigation into the crash, police said.
“The investigation concluded that Adarius Hayes’ egregious speed, aggressive and reckless lane changes, and complete disregard for surrounding traffic conditions demonstrated a willful and deliberate disregard for the safety of others, constituting reckless driving,” police said. “These actions directly led to the tragic deaths of the three victims.”
Hayes, who is a sophomore at Miami, was one of the top linebacker recruits in the country in 2024. A star at Largo High School, he was ranked as the 78th-best overall player in the country and sixth-best linebacker in the country by ESPN. He chose the Canes over such powerhouse programs as Alabama, Florida and Georgia.
He played sparingly as a freshman, mostly on special teams, but was expected to play a bigger role in 2025. Miami, ranked No. 10 in the country, hosts No. 6 Notre Dame in both schools’ first game of the season on Sunday.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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