NFL receiver Donté Stallworth hits, kills man on Miami's MacArthur Causeway

Miami Herald ^ | 03-14-09 | BY DAVID SMILEY AND TANIA VALDEMORO

[WL-law]

The Cleveland Browns' Donté Stallworth was questioned by Miami Beach police after his car struck and killed a crane operator on the MacArthur Causeway.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte' Stallworth was questioned and released by Miami Beach police Saturday after the car he was driving struck and killed a man on the MacArthur Causeway.

Stallworth, 28, was headed eastbound in his black Bentley about 7:17 a.m. when he plowed into 59-year-old Mario Reyes near the stop light at Terminal Island, according to police.

Stallworth cooperated with investigators and officers drew his blood at the scene, a routine procedure following a traffic fatality, according to Detective Juan Sanchez.

Stallworth has not been charged in the crash.

Sanchez would not say what may have led to the crash. The results of Stallworth's blood test could take at least three days, he said.

A Bentley with heavy front-end damage and without its passenger side mirror was towed into the police parking lot about 1 p.m.

Stallworth's attorney, Robert Switkes, said he had not spoken with his client and would not comment. Stallworth's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, did not return messages left by a Miami Herald reporter.

The crash flung Reyes about a dozen feet, said co-worker Renier Calana.

''We had all finished working all night, and when the time came for him to leave, he grabbed his stuff and headed to the bus stop out front,'' said Calana, who worked with Reyes unloading the cargo containers from the Port of Miami.

``We could hear the impact. We all ran out, and he was lying there unconscious in the middle. The police and ambulance came. He was alive when they took him, they tried to revive him but it didn't work.''

Sanchez said Reyes was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead about an hour later.

JUST FINISHED WORK

Reyes, a crane operator with shipping company Bernuth Agencies, located just feet from where the crash occurred, had clocked out only seven minutes before he was struck by Stallworth's Bentley.

The crash happened near the bus stop where he waited every morning for a bus ride home to Southwest Miami-Dade, where he lived with his wife and daughter, according to co-workers.

A GOOD FRIEND

Calana said Reyes was a good friend and hard worker, and often talked about his 14-year-old daughter.

''He loved her. He talked about her all the time. They were very close,'' he said.

Traffic on the MacArthur, Venetian and Julia Tuttle causeways was backed up to the mainland for hours Saturday because of the accident.

Stallworth, who records show owns two condos downtown and in midtown, has played for four different teams in the past four years and is coming off the least productive of his seven NFL seasons.

He signed a seven-year, $35 million contract with the Cleveland Browns last March but missed five of the Browns' 16 games last season with a quadriceps injury.

He played his first four seasons with the New Orleans Saints, who selected him 13th overall in the first round of the 2002 draft.

He played with Philadelphia in 2006 and New England in 2007, before signing with the Browns.

The Browns said in a statement they were aware of what happened.

''We understand the seriousness of this situation, but will not have any further comment at this time as this is an ongoing investigation,'' the team said.

PAST TROUBLE

Stallworth's driving has gotten him in trouble with Miami Beach police before.

In March of 2006, while a member of the New Orleans Saints, Stallworth was arrested after resisting arrest during a traffic stop.

He was pulled over in his black 2005 Bentley just after 5 a.m. on Washington Avenue for driving with an expired paper tag.

According to an arrest report, Stallworth tried to drive away from officers and then refused to step out of his car, shut off the Bentley's engine or get off his cellphone.

Charges were filed, but he was not prosecuted.

He listed a Miami Beach penthouse as his address on corporate records for a company called First Rounders, state records show. He's listed as the manager of the company.

Miami Herald staff writers Barry Jackson, Jack Dolan, David Ovalle and Nadege Charles, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[WL-law]

More news and info on the incident. This clarifies that the victim was not a drunk or street-person or jay-walker, but was waiting for a bus at an intersection.

[Krankor]

Still not enough info. A lot of times, people waiting for buses will walk out into the street to see if one is coming.

[mylife]

Sad

[Polybius]

This clarifies that the victim was not a drunk or street-person or jay-walker, but was waiting for a bus at an intersection.

I never knew the MacArthur Causeway had intersections.

[WL-law]

There was a picture posted on an earlier related thread. There’s definitely a light and an intersection, and a business establishment and parking lot at the light.

[ican'tbelieveit]

Ah, but working all night does incredible things to the mind. I worked graves about 8 months last year, and when I got off it was just like being drugged.

[True Republican Patriot]

Maybe Dante drove up onto the sidewalk?? This sounds pretty strange in that its a normal bus stop and the Victim waits there religiously everyday for his ride home, oh, and he just finished eight hours as a Crane Operator so We know the Victim was sober and not on drugs! something that may be in doubt with Dante?

[marvlus]

I know that it would be hard to live with myself if I had struck and killed an individual, regardless of circumstances.

[nothingnew]

Stallworth cooperated with investigators and officers drew his blood at the scene,

No way would I agree to that. No way.

FMCDH(BITS)

[Krankor]

First of all, whoever wrote the story should be beaten with a stick.
" when he plowed into 59-year-old Mario Reyes" That's a bit sensational and biased.
But there was some interesting facts. A Bentley with heavy front-end damage and without its passenger side mirror. That seems to give some credence to your theory. But, then there's this, We all ran out, and he was lying there unconscious in the middle. It doesn't say the "middle" of what. The street? The sidewalk? Depending on what Dante says, an accident reconstruction expert can probably figure this one out pretty quickly.

[Kakaze]

I’m with you, no way would I let them draw blood on the scene.....They would have to take me to a hospital for it and even then I might refuse.

[nothingnew]

I’m with you, no way would I let them draw blood on the scene.....

Nobody, I mean NOBODY, sticks a needle in my arm for ANY reason unless I'm in a sterile surrounding and a medically trained person is doing it.

FMCDH(BITS)

[Celtic Conservative]

If it's like My state, it's considered a presumptive test. I.E.if you accept the states conditions for getting an operators license you have presumed to agree with drunk driving testing, whether breathalyzer or blood analysis. You still have the legal right to refuse, but then you must immediately surrender your license. (please note this doesn't mean I agree with it, just stating the facts)

CC

[FreeManWhoCan]

Something is wrong with this story. Why would there be a bus stop on the causeway?/ I live in Miami and don’t recall seeing this.. Something is fishy here. He lives near my home. My condolences to his family.

[nothingnew]

I understand all you posted and understand the repercussions of refusing such a test. That said, nobody is going to stick a needle in my arm unless they do it in the way I described earlier. I've lost my license before and lived right through it. I very well might not live through some jerk sticking me with...who knows what?

FMCDH(BITS)

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.