CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – Mache Ulysses Darby, the man accused of killing a pedestrian in a hit-and-run accident on Sunday morning in Uptown Charlotte, has a troubling history of involvement in a similar deadly incident back in 2011.
The incident occurred around 2:12 a.m. on December 1, when officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department responded to reports of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle on West Morehead Street near South Mint Street. Upon arrival, officers found 33-year-old Ryan Zadrozny, who was walking with two other people when they crossed the road at a marked crosswalk.
According to police, Zadrozny was struck by a Mercedes Benz driven by Darby, who was allegedly speeding. After hitting the pedestrian, Darby fled the scene. Zadrozny later died from his injuries.
Darby was located nearby, but officers reported that he attempted to flee from them. After a brief pursuit, he crashed his vehicle. Darby was subsequently taken to the hospital, where he is expected to recover from his injuries.
Police said that both impairment and excessive speed played a role in the fatal crash. Darby now faces several serious charges, including felony death by vehicle, felony hit-and-run, felony fleeing to elude, and reckless driving.
This is not the first time Darby has faced charges for a fatal hit-and-run. In 2011, he was involved in another hit-and-run accident that killed a pedestrian. Darby fled the scene of that incident as well and was charged with felony hit-and-run, driving with a revoked license, and possession of marijuana. While Darby was convicted of felony hit-and-run in that case, he received a suspended sentence.