Suspect Shot & Killed After Driving Over Arlington Officer
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ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) - A female police officer from Arlington is in serious condition after being run over by a car late Wednesday night, and the suspect was shot and killed by another officer. The incident started at about 11:30 p.m. near the intersection of Spring Lake Drive and Fielder Road.
According to police, the female officer pulled over a car with three adults and a small child inside. She then discovered that the driver had a felony warrant out of Dallas County, and called for backup to assist with making an arrest. A total of three officers approached the vehicle together.
However, the driver put his car into reverse, running over the female officer and hitting her patrol car in the process. He then started to drive away, running over the officer a second time. One of the backup officers opened the car's rear passenger door and fired shots in an attempt to get the driver to stop.
The suspect was hit by the gunfire and pronounced dead at the hospital. The car ended up a little bit further down the street.
"The shooting itself happened inside the vehicle. It's believed the officer was in the vehicle," explained Lt. Christopher Cook of the Arlington Police Department. Details about the encounter are still being investigated. "As far as was his whole body in the vehicle -- half in, half out -- I'm not sure."
The suspect was identified Thursday morning as 23-year-old Tavis Crane of Arlington. He was wanted for probation violation, and also had misdemeanor warrants out of Grand Prairie. "For whatever reason," Cook added, "the suspect made the decision he was not going to go back to jail."
Nobody else from inside of the car was arrested or injured. Authorities said that they are cooperating with the investigation.
Syed Nasir lives at the place where Crane's vehicle came to a stop, and saw a woman and a toddler. "I saw the lady and she was screaming," he recalled. "It's so sad. So sad for the family. I mean, it never happened in my street. I've been living here for 19 years. I never seen. It happened right there in my driveway.
The injured officer, a 14-year veteran of the force, was taken to JPS Hospital in Fort Worth with several broken bones. She will survive and is said to be in "good spirits." Meanwhile, the backup officer who fired shots is now on administrative leave while the investigation continues. The names of the officers have not been released.