Miami Hurricanes linebacker Adarius Hayes was arrested on Friday, Aug. 29 for a crash that killed two children and an elderly woman in May.
“On May 10, 2025, at approximately 1:43 p.m., the Largo Police Department responded to a two-vehicle traffic crash with fatalities at the intersection of Orange View Drive and Ridge Road,” said Megan Santo, the public information officer at Largo Police Department.
Two children and one elderly woman were killed and another individual was injured. Hayes is charged with three counts of vehicular homicide and one count of reckless driving with serious bodily injury. His bond is set at $350,000.
After an arrest warrant was issued, the 20-year-old turned himself into the Largo Police Department on Friday at 10:53 a.m. He was transported to Pinellas County Jail and released at 2:18 p.m. with a surety bond and pending court date.
Largo Police said that Hayes was travelling 78.9 miles per hour in a 40 miles per hour zone at the time of the crash. Santo also said that about five seconds before the crash, Hayes made a “rapid and dangerous maneuver.”
“Moments later, Hayes abruptly re-entered the curb lane, again crossing all three lanes without signaling. At that point, Hayes’ vehicle collided with the 2017 Kia Soul, which was lawfully executing a left-hand turn westbound onto Orange View Drive,” said Santo.
Prior to this crash, Hayes had numerous other driving incidents — including a speeding ticket and multiple citations for improper lane changes — and had his license briefly suspended in 2023 after failing to complete driving school.
The linebacker remained on the football team while police conducted the investigation and UM gathered more information.
“Following the charges issued today by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, student-athlete Adarius Hayes has been indefinitely suspended from all athletic related activities per athletic department policy. We will have no further comment,” Miami Athletics said in a statement to The Hurricane.
The arrest comes just days before UM’s football opener against Notre Dame, a notable rivalry. Although Hayes was not a starter, his arrest may pose a distraction for the team.
“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,” said Santo. “These actions directly led to the tragic deaths of the three victims.”
This is a developing story.
Lazaro Chavez, Katie Karlson and Mel Tenkoff contributed to the reporting for this story.