Man arrested, charged in death of Grand Prairie police officer
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – Grand Prairie police have arrested and charged 22-year-old Colbie Hoffman in the death of Grand Prairie Police Officer Brandon Tsai.
Hoffman was charged for evading arrest and detention causing death and tampering with physical evidence. He also had eight warrants out of Waxahachie, Bedford, DeSoto and Grand Prairie. He is being held on bond for a total of $275,000.
Police say Hoffman was driving a car with a fake paper license plate on Monday night and took off when Officer Tsai attempted to pull him over.
During pursuit of the vehicle, Tsai lost control of his squad car and struck a light pole. He died from his injuries.
"The person who is responsible for this is the person who ran," said Grand Prairie Police Chief Daniel Scesney. "We have a culture where individuals in our society are emboldened to run from the police. If a police officer gets behind you and turns on the lights, you're required to stop."
The Chevy Malibu that Tsai was chasing Monday night had the same tag that's been captured on more than 200 vehicles in the DFW area, according to Chief Scesney.
"Our detectives and officers had a mediocre picture of a car with a fictitious license plate," he said. "To solve a case like that is incredibly difficult, painstaking. And I can tell you these cops did not stop until that occurred. They literally worked around the clock and refused to go home."
Scesney said that the Dallas County District Attorney's office is examining the case to determine if enhanced charges are appropriate. The Dallas Police Department, the Dallas Fusion Center and the FBI assisted with the capturing of Hoffman.
"I would like to thank every single person who had a hand in the capture of Hoffman, especially the Grand Prairie police officers who refused to stop," the chief said. "You helped start the healing process for all of Brandon's family, and that includes all of them in blood and blue."
According to Scesney, officers looked at more than 6,000 images to find any potential leads or patterns related to the kind of car involved in the chase, which ultimately led them to a house in the 300 block of Hensley in Grand Prairie.
Officers could see the silver Chevy Malibu that led Officer Tsai on the pursuit in the back of a residence with the fake paper tag removed. Police got a warrant to search that home, and someone tipped off Homan officers were looking for him.
Scesney said Hoffman went to Dallas to turn himself in to police there because he said he didn't want to be arrested by Grand Prairie officers. Several GPPD officers went there to take him into custody, using Officer Tsai's handcuffs.
"What the message it sends to all the brothers and sisters that wear this badge is that we're not going to stop until we catch the person he was chasing," the chief said. "I also think it sends a message to anybody that thinks it's a good idea to come to the city of Grand Prairie and commit crime. It's not a good idea, because we don't know how to quit."
Now that Hoffman is in custody, the chief said they can focus on burying Officer Tsai with the highest honors.
A candlelight vigil for Tsai will be held Friday night at the Grand Prairie public safety building at 6 p.m.
His funeral will be held at Gateway Church on Monday, Nov. 21 at 11 a.m.