Man arrested in hit-and-run crash that killed H.S. basketball coach

A West Hartford man has been charged in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed a beloved high school coach in Hartford in March.

After an extensive investigation by the Hartford Police Department’s Crime Scene Division, detectives identified Jaimuse Workman, 41, as a suspect and obtained a felony warrant for his arrest.

Hartford officers were called to the area of 3324 Main St. near Rosemont Street at 6:30 p.m. March 31 on a report of a pedestrian being hit by a vehicle.

Officers in the area found Prince Tech boys basketball coach Kendall May lying in the road unresponsive and began life-saving measures. The 56-year-old was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.

May, who lived in Bloomfield, coached boys basketball, boys cross country and girls outdoor track at Prince Tech, where he worked as the school’s in-house suspension officer. He was supposed to coach boys track this spring as well.

May, a graduate of Prince Tech who became the varsity basketball coach in 1998, was known to be tough on kids and held them accountable.

“He was a very stern individual who you respected,” said Broderick Bedford, who played for May at Prince Tech and was an assistant basketball coach with him from 2009-2021. “You could tell he cared.”

According to police, a grey Jeep Cherokee with a Vermont license plate fled the scene heading north on Main Street. The high-speed crash was captured on multiple cameras in the area, police said.

Workman was taken into custody by members of the Hartford Police Fugitive Task Force and has been charged with misconduct with a motor vehicle, evading the scene involving death and reckless driving. He is being held in lieu of a $100,000 judge-set bond, according to police.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Hartford Police Department Tip Line at 860-722-TIPS (8477).