A man who officials say killed a Hillsborough deputy by hitting him with his car in 2021 was sentenced to 45 years in prison today.
A release from State Attorney Suzy Lopez said Travis Garrett, who was also paralyzed as a result of the crash, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, fleeing to elude high-speed (serious bodily injury or death), battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence and criminal mischief. The crash killed HCSO Sgt. Brian LaVigne.
In January 2021, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said deputies were responding to a call for service from management at the Paddock Club Apartments.
The suspect, then 28-year-old Garrett, struck a deputy in the head with his fist, according to Sheriff Chronister. Garrett then left the area in his car and led deputies on a chase.
Sheriff Chronister said Garrett was driving at a high rate of speed when he intentionally rammed into the driver's side of Sgt. LaVigne's car, who was responding to the call for service. There were no skid marks on the scene indicating trying to stop, the sheriff said.
Sheriff Chronister said LaVigne was trapped inside his car and unresponsive. Fire rescue used the Jaws of Life to free him, and he was later taken to Tampa General Hospital, where he died from his injuries.
LaVigne was a 30-year veteran of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. He was days away from retirement, with only one more shift left before his death.
"Brian was a phenomenal person. He was kind, loving and honest. He was straight to the point and passionate about his family and the gym. Words can't describe what he meant and did for Gracie Fishhawk as a gym and as a family," Travis Baumgardner said in 2021. Baumgardner owned Gracie Fishhawk, where LaVigne trained and practiced martial arts.
LaVigne's wife told the court that the defendant "ripped away the years they had left together after he spent three decades serving and protecting his community." Officials said his daughter, also a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office deputy, says she lost her mentor, her hero, and her best friend.
“While there is no sentence that can ever truly account for the extraordinary life Travis Garrett took, today’s sentencing delivers a measure of justice for Sgt. Brian LaVigne’s family, his brothers and sisters in uniform, and every citizen whose life he touched,” said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. “Sgt. LaVigne was a devoted husband, father, and public servant. His life was cut short while doing what he had done for 30 years, protecting this community with courage and compassion, and the pain of his loss is immeasurable. Though more than four years have passed, his legacy continues to live on in the hearts of those who knew him and in the community he selflessly served.”
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