26-year-old arrested after fatal crash, gas station vehicle theft
DALLAS — A man is in custody after police found a woman lying in the street in southeast Dallas.
On March 10, at around 12:50 a.m., officers responded to a kidnapping and major accident call at 1300 Murdock Road. When police arrived, they found a woman lying in the street. Dallas Fire-Rescue responded and the woman died at the scene.
According to an arrest affidavit, Vanessa Matamoros parked her vehicle in the parking lot of the Fox Gas Station Sunday night. She and her husband went inside the gas station, leaving the car running. Karen Mariela was in the vehicle, lying down in the back seat.
An employee let Matamoros know that a man, later identified as 26-year-old Darion Thomas, got in the vehicle and left with it.
About a mile away, Thomas struck a power pole at a high rate of speed, "causing a catastrophic crash," the affidavit says. Mariela was ejected from the vehicle and died as a result of multiple blunt-force injuries.
"Honestly, just disbelief," said Mireya Diaz, who witnessed the aftermath. "Shock, overwhelming."
Diaz says her cousin woke up to a loud sound in front of their house and went outside to see a serious crash and a woman lying in the street.
A witness told police that they saw Thomas near the crash, attempting to crawl away. He told the witness that he was driving the car because he needed a ride to work. He then asked the witness for a gun to kill himself.
After he was treated for his injuries, Thomas told police that he was at the gas station when he saw Matamoros and her husband walking in. He said that once he was in the car, he increased his speed and drove off recklessly when Mariela began yelling at him.
Thomas said that as he drove around a curve at approximately 260 mph, he lost control of the car and struck a pole.
Diaz said she goes to the Fox Gas Station all the time and admits this hits close to home.
"That's kind of terrifying because it's like, it could have been me, could have been anybody else in this area," Diaz said.
"We would just encourage people to pay attention to what's going on around them," said Officer Jesse Carr, with the Dallas Police Department. "You know, keep their doors locked, keep their keys on, you know, that kind of thing. But at the end of the day, this is heartbreaking."
Thomas has been charged with murder and theft. His bond is set at over $1 million.
