Posted on 01/06/2026 7:26:18 AM PST by DFG
A harrowing video showed a wild police chase after a routine traffic stop that led to the rescue of an alleged kidnapping victim and the arrest of his kidnapper in Florida.
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office said deputies pulled over a white Ford F-150 on U.S. Highway 1 on Wednesday after a 911 caller reported suspicious activity. They found a 60-year-old man identified as Darnell Hairston with two male juveniles.
When deputies separated an 11-year-old boy, he told them he had been kidnapped by Hairston and feared for his life.
"He told us that he thought they were going to kill him," Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said.
Police video showed deputies taking down the man before the other juvenile passenger, a 15-year-old boy, got into the truck and fled from the scene. He comes within inches of driving over one officer's feet. When police followed the vehicle, he rammed one cruiser before crashing the truck.
The 11-year-old had been missing for three days and was treated at a hospital, according to police.
He allegedly told police that he had been lured to a wooded campsite at Flagler Estates, where he was choked unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he was gagged with duct tape and tied with an extension cord and shoelaces. He also said he was threatened with a knife and firearm.
The boy was forced to hide under a blanket on the floorboard of the truck while being transported, according to investigators.
Search warrants performed on the man's vehicle, his residence, and the campsite led to the recovery of duct tape, weapons, and video surveillance equipment. Police said these were consistent with statements given by the victim.
Investigators said the two juveniles were in a Snapchat group where the 11-year-old was warning others about Hairston being a sexual predator.
Video of the traffic stop was posted to the sheriff's office Facebook account.
Hairston was eventually charged with kidnapping of a child under 13, aggravated child abuse, battery by strangulation, and robbery with a deadly weapon. He had been initially arrested for attempting to disarm a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest.
The 15-year-old boy was placed into the custody of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. He faces multiple charges and is being investigated as a possible co-conspirator.
Hairston is being held without bond at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and may face additional charges.
"A caller that knew his background as a sex offender with two children in his pickup truck called us," Staly said. "And if it wasn't for that, we might be investigating a completely different crime."
LGBTQIA+
All kinds of horrible people in the world.
Many freely walking the streets, unidentified, non descript.
The abduction of the 11 y/o sounds devastating, is likely to remain a permanent source of dread and trauma for him. With luck, with prayer, he will learn to trust people again.
Who knows how many kids the kidnapper has already done this to? Some victims may not trust the police enough to speak up.
This is a person who should be permanently removed from society. If he’s behaving this way at age 60, he is broken from within and cannot be repaired.
Said “he was going to take him fishing, talk to him, then take him home”. Yeah that’ll work.
Horrible story and horrible writing. Just tragic all around. Prayers that that 11 year old fully recovers from that trauma.
I join you in prayer. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Take the faggot out back and shoot him “trying to escape”, before some lefty judge sets him loose.
If you tolerate them in your community, they will attempt to kidnap and rape young boys.
Take this feral animal out back and expend one .22LR.
As long as you are close enough, a .22 short could work too, it’s also less likely to be heard by the neighbors.
Judge: “Whack his pee pee”
The older boy is, I bet, a prior victim of sexual abuse, to an extent that he, over time, became complicit in abuse of others.
If he’s doing this at any age, he is broken within and is irredeemable, off hi and put society and young boys out of his misery.
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