911 calls describe off-duty Wilmington cop 'running over' woman, SBI investigating

On Tuesday, July 25, at around 12:22 p.m., the State Highway Patrol (SHP) responded to a 'collision' on the 5300 block of Gingerwood Drive in Wilmington, not far from the Costco parking lot.

According to SHP Sergeant Marcus Bethea, "A 2014 Toyota Tundra pickup truck operated by Darryl Gregory Warren, 39, of Wilmington, NC, was traveling south on Gingerwood Dr and made a u-turn to revert to traveling north. Warren failed to complete the turn and instead ran off the right side of the roadway and struck a pedestrian and a parked vehicle." WPD confirmed the pickup truck was not a city-owned vehicle.

Three witnesses who called New Hanover County 911 described the scene, according to audio acquired by WHQR.

One woman described Warren as being armed, and the woman as his girlfriend. Officials have confirmed Warren and the woman were "known to each other," but didn't elaborate

"Male, in the truck, hit — apparently she's his girlfriend — and she's in the backseat of the truck and she's hurt. And [he] hit another car on top of it. It's a Black man, he has a gun on his hip. He's acting like it was an accident — but I don't know," she told the 911 operator.

Another described Warren driving recklessly while trying to hit the woman.

"I was driving to go to Costco, I took a right, the lady got out [of] the truck and ran across the road. I literally watch the guy run her over. He hit a tree and he hit a parked car trying to run her over," the man said.

A third said she thought the incident looked almost intentional.

"Well, it almost looked like it was on purpose. He was right in front of me and turned around really fast, and came and just flew onto where the mulch was and hit her. He was making like an illegal u-turn, but I mean he floored it," she said.

The woman was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, according to SHP. Warren was arrested and taken to the New Hanover County detention center, where he submitted to a breath analysis, which registered .10% BAC, and was charged with reckless driving and driving while impaired. He was released on an unsecured bond and is next due in court in mid-September.

The Wilmington Police Department has placed Warren on administrative leave pending an investigation and requested that the State Bureau of Investigation handle the case, as did the State Highway Patrol. The SBI confirmed its investigation is ongoing.

WHQR filed a public records request for Warren's personnel information but has not received a response yet. According to the WPD Twitter (now X) account, Warren is an Army Veteran who previously served on the Wrightsville Beach Police Department.