Vermont police officer was allegedly watching YouTube videos—including content from controversial right-wing commentator Matt Walsh—when he fatally struck a cyclist with his police cruiser.
Sergeant Kyle Kapitanski, 41, now faces charges of grossly negligent operation with death resulting after authorities found evidence that he was streaming political videos just moments before the deadly crash.
According to a charging document obtained by VTDigger, Vermont State Police discovered multiple YouTube links on Kapitanski’s in-car tablet in the 11 minutes leading up to the incident. The final video he allegedly accessed? A Walsh debate clip titled, “Trans Woman CONFRONTING Matt Walsh Takes UNEXPECTED Turn.”
Cyclist Killed in the Dead of Night
The crash happened at around 2:40 a.m. in South Burlington. Kapitanski, who was on duty with the Shelburne Police Department, reported hitting “something—possibly a person.” That person was 38-year-old Sean Hayes, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Neither Kapitanski’s body camera nor his cruiser’s dashcam captured the fatal impact, but his body cam did record his tablet screen. Authorities say he was seen switching from YouTube to his police dispatch system after the crash.
A forensic review of the tablet revealed that YouTube videos had been playing uninterrupted from 2:29 a.m. until the exact time of impact. However, Vermont State Police say there’s no proof that Kapitanski physically interacted with the device during those crucial 11 minutes.
Could This Tragedy Have Been Avoided?Investigators say the officer was speeding at the time—traveling five miles over the limit. A crash reconstruction report suggests that if he had been obeying the speed limit, the deadly collision “likely could have been avoided.”
The Legal Fallout
Kapitanski’s lawyer, David Sleigh, has downplayed the allegations, stating:
“The affidavit says Kyle was going maybe 5 miles over the speed limit, that his computer was playing some sort of video, but the officer says their IT guy found no interaction with the computer in the 11 minutes that matter.”
Despite this, Chittenden County prosecutors remain firm in their case, with State’s Attorney Sarah George confirming:
“The court has found probable cause for the charge, and we stand by our decision to file it.”
Kapitanski is scheduled for arraignment in Chittenden County criminal court on Thursday. Whether the YouTube videos will play a central role in the case remains to be seen—but the disturbing details of this crash are already sparking heated debates online.
