Miami Hurricanes linebacker Adarius Hayes was arrested Friday in connection with a crash in May that killed two children and an elderly woman.
“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 was 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.
UM football team officials suspended the linebacker 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 happened only days before Sunday's UM 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.”
Lazaro Chavez, Katie Karlson and Mel Tenkoff contributed to the reporting for this story.
This story was originally published by The Miami Hurricane, the student newspaper of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, as part of an editorial content partnership with the WLRN newsroom.
