Death by Cop 2022-2024
Search fatalities
You can use any or all of the fields to refine the search.
Ryan Griffin
Gender : Male
Age : 33
Race : White
Date : 05/20/2023
Location : Main St
City : Dalton
County : Whitfield
State : Georgia
Agency : Dalton PD
Officer(s) :Bustin Buzzarella
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Killed by police chase crash
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 03/20/2023, Officer Bustin Buzzella pursued motorist Ryan Griffin from Main Street in Dalton onto Robinson Road in Hinsdale. Sgt. Buzzarella claimed that he was chasing him because he felt Griffin may be impaired because the officer allegedly saw a stop sign violation, came to the conclusion to hunt the driver for possible DUI. Griffin was known to have a suspended license and this may have been the reason he fled when Buzzarella escalated a chase that ended when griffin hit a tree at high speed and died.
Sergeant Bustin Buzzarella had previously endangered drivers with reckless speeding and months before this death had been warned that any more incidents would lead to his termination. At the time Sgt. Buzzarella hunted Ryan Griffin to death, it had been his third unpermitted reckless high-speed chase in a span of several months. It was noted that he escalated the hunt on Griffin during very rainy dangerous conditions for a stop sign violation.
“I find that, by choosing to continue the pursuit after the operator increased his speed on wet and windy roads, Sgt. Buzzella created an avoidable risk of harm to the public. Based on these circumstances, there was no justification to commence a high-speed pursuit”, said police chief Deanna Strout.
Chief Strout also said that investigation showed that he had misstated facts and mischaracterized Griffin’s actions and “falsely reported the improper actions of this vehicle to justify pursuing it.”
Chief Strout terminated Sgt. Buzzarella after causing Griffin’s avoidable death, speaking out against his reckless driving and also falsification of records, apparently to cover it. Buzzarella filed a long-term disability claim against the city and is on disability pay, possibly to circumvent the firing by the unusually outspoken police chief. Buzzella has also been placed on the Brady List for the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office, meaning he should not be called for witness testimony without prior approval.
