Veteran Arlington Officer Survives Shootout With Murder Suspect
ARLINGTON (CBS 11 NEWS) - An officer shot trying to arrest a child murder suspect in Saginaw can thank other officers for saving his life a doctor said. Arlington police detective Charles Lodatto was in intensive care Tuesday night, in serious condition following surgery.
Dr. William Witham with Texas Health Harris Methodist said Lodatto was hit in the right groin. The bullet divided his femoral artery, an injury that could have led to death within minutes, Witham said. Officers on scene used a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. Surgeons repaired the artery in surgery, but said the bullet lodged in Lodatto's hip socket, and they expect he will need additional surgeries.
It's not certain yet if Lodatto will have any long term effects from the wound.
"It's very early to tell that," Witham said. "We'll just have to see how well he heals up from the repairs. From a vascular standpoint his leg should do fine."
Lodatto, who has been with Arlington police since 1992, is the department's only member of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. He was Detective of the Year for the department in 2012. He was part of a multi-agency team serving an arrest and search warrant at the home of 17-year-old Tyler Holder, who is suspected in the murder of 6-year-old Alanna Gallagher.
Lodatto worked on another high profile case last year, protecting Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck in a murder for hire plot.
Cluck visited Lodatto Tuesday afternoon, and said he had become a friend in that time.
"He was always there and always willing to help other people," Cluck said. "And I just think the world of him. What he did today was very important."
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