Carjacking Suspect Captured in University Park
While I was out of town it looks like there was breaking news. Late yesterday I received this inquiry from an area resident.
Don’t know if you heard or if you are on vacation, but last night there was a pretty violent carjacking on Lovers at Cleburne.
Guy ran down Cleburne, jumped on the car of a girl driving through the neighborhood, smashed in the drivers window, dragged her out of the car, drove the car down Lovers, crashed into a yard at Lovers and Airline, and then fled.
Caught five or so houses down on Amherst.
So last night I checked in with University Park Police Department’s Chief Gary Adams and he confirmed the incident.
This occurred yesterday afternoon or early evening on Lovers Lane in Dallas. UP officer captured the suspect. Suspect is believe to have been on drugs. He was immediately turned over to Dallas police who worked the car jacking.
HOLY COW! That’s frightening. WAY TO GO UP POLICE! I’d be interested to know if the thief was local or not.
Suspect was not local to UP/HP – a good samaritan had seen the car jacking take place and had followed the suspect allowing the police to catch him. Good samaritan deserves some kudos – wish we could track him down.
The individual arrested in this case is a Dallas resident. He was described as a black male and appeared to possibly be on PCP with super human strength. He reportedly knocked the windshield out of the victim’s car with his fists. He then pulled the victim out of the car and drove off in it. While there is no mention of a good samaritan in the report, there was a witness who called the police for the victim, allowing officers to respond in a timely manner. Handling individuals under the influence of a substance like PCP is very dangerous, as they generally do not realize what they are doing, how strong they are or how bad they may be hurt. In this case the suspect had severe lacerations and cuts to his hands. If there was a good samaritan, we certainly thank you!
Chief Adams, what is your suggested behavior for citizens that are approached while they are in a car by a crazy or dangerous thief? This is everyone’s nightmare, especially parents with new teen drivers! I’d like to talk to my kids about it, and have a discussion about what you do if you are approached and threatened.
there was a good samaritan. we were in the car behind him. he came out and dragged the woman out of the clutches of this guy. we parked on the side of the road ahead of them and called 911. But he saved his woman.
My family happened upon this minutes after it happened. Very scary, very violent. Since the suspect allegedly walked down Cleburne Street, and appeared to have been deeply in the neighborhood, I have a few questions for Chief Adams: do we know where suspect was and/or why he was in our neighborhood? What steps are being taken to alert the neighbors about this? I shudder to think what could have happened had suspect turned his rage on a jogger or a child playing or riding a bike. This was a very violent crime that took place a few hundred feet from my home. What steps are being taken to make sure this doesn’t happen again? Is there a greater police presence patrolling this part of UP? What about the pan handlers at Lovers and Central. Stricter enforcement at that location in light of this incident is in order.
Sunday night I glanced outside to see my house surrounded by police cars. The police caught the suspect on my driveway in my backyard. The police did a fantastic job. It was definitely a crazy experience for us and we are lucky to have fast acting police. Just fifteen minutes prior, both of my children were playing in the backyard. Good job and way to go to the UP Police!
@kmom – great question!!! I would also like to talk to my teen drivers about this and would love to have Chief Adams input.
@ Neighbor,
You’re asking a lot of a police force. So they should know about every incident everywhere before it happens? There’s no trend here, just a freak occurence at a random place. If there was a pattern of violent incidents in a certain area, then yes, I would expect increased police presence. But not based on this.
As to the panhandlers, I agree with stricter enforcement.
Certainly understand Neighbor’s concerns, but agree with D. Sounds like the process worked appropriately – don’t see how this incident could have been anticipated but police responded in a timely fashion and resolved the issue quickly and effectively. As with all incidents, I’m sure Chief will evaluate the situation and see if there are any learnings that can be applied.
As for the Lovers/Central area – I may be mistaken, but isn’t that area outside the UP city limits and outside the UP police jurisdiction?
The panhandlers usually stand on the median which is City of Dallas jurisdiction at that intersection.
@amom, we are glad you and family are okay.
@Neighbor: Lovers & Central is in the City of Dallas. It’s not under UPPD’s jurisdiction.
The Lovers Lane and US 75 area continues to attract vagrants and panhandlers. The Church and School located there, St. Christopher’s Episcopal and St. Christopher’s Montessori, have done a great job of keeping this intersection area a zone of clear public visibility. The church and school have actively opposed the construction of walls, monuments, shrubs and other barriers to public visibility, and have kept the area clear and unobstructed for the ease of visible law enforcement. They should be commended.
Good reason to carry a firearm in your vehicle!
While we live in an insulated part of town for the most part it still attracts a bad element. For instance, if you read the online crime blotter from the SMU Police Department, they arrest people from time to time carrying firearms and/or have lengthy criminal records that do not belong on campus. Sometimes they are on campus, sometimes they wander into the neighborhoods or surrounding shopping areas.
I have been approached a number of times by homeless looking for the HPUMC. They have a food pantry or clothes closet there, the homeless folks say.
Judging from the dashboard video shown on TV, the suspect must have abandoned the car and taken off down the alley between Amherst and Lovers, west of Airline. At some point he got back onto Amherst. We were driving east on Amherst at the time. We could see the suspect, a car coming toward us, and a UP Police SUV headed our direction, too. The driver of the car was pointing to the driveway down which the suspect turned (the driveway mentioned in the above post). The Police SUV turned into the drive and the officer got out, gun drawn. A second Police SUV was only moments behind. Apparently it was over pretty quickly after that.
My wife was reading about this in the Dallas Morning News this morning and asked me some of the same questions. What would you do? Of course I am a police officer so my knee jerk answer was that I would have probably shot the guy. Not knowing what the traffic conditions were, or the victim’s state of mind it is hard to second guess anything that the victim in this case may have done or not done. Our mind set is if a person jumps on the hood of our car and we continue to drive and that person is injuried or killed that we become liable. Tough questions! However, you should do whatever it takes to survive such an encounter, if you can keep your wits. First, keep your doors locked and always be aware of your surroundings. We all carry cell phones now so immediately call 911. If the person exhibits violent behavior, as in this case, do not attempt to deal with them. If you are in fear of your life and believe you must defend yourself, then do so, drive off or get out and go for help. If you believe the only place you can be safe is in that car and the subject has not gotten in, then stay locked inside. Once they start making entry, get out and let them have the car. Hopefully that is all they want. Do not try to stay with the car. I you happen to be licensed to carry a weapon, this would be a good time to use it.
While this incident occurred in Dallas, it could just as easily have occurred in our city so think about what you would do or what to tell your children. Once this guy wrecked out in our city, he could have just as easily tried to take another car in the same manner. While most pan handlers are harmless do not take chances by rolling down your window to talk with them. There are plenty of people out there who are just as dangerous.
This is not a common occurrance and there is not much we can do to prevent these types of crimes. They are random and can happen any place at any time. Take care!
I saw on the news last night that the guy is HIV positive. The guy was cut from punching the glass and was bleeding. The woman also sustained cuts. Even worse, the bleeding guy grabbed her and his blood came in contact with her. She took one HIV test, which came back negative. But, she’s really going to need to wait six months to see what the results are.
The best way to keep hoodlums and riff raff out of UP would be to put a wall up between the houses and everything else – who’s with me?
Say this young lady carried a gun – under her seat. The guy leaps on her windshield and starts to smash it – she reaches under her seat for the gun – he’s got his arm in the window by now, just as she pulls the gun out from under the seat (or out of her glove box, or purse, or whatever) Crazy man, full of PCP superhuman strength rips the gun from her hand and blasts her right in the face. Instead of terror, scrapes and bruises we have a tragic death of an innocent woman.
I don’t think there’s even a 50/50 chance that the gun would have made a difference in a good way, but certainly at least a 50/50 chance it could have made it much, much worse.
Yes, I know the howling by my gun loving neighbors will now commence…………
It would take less than 30 seconds to retrieve and unholster a concealed handgun from anywhere in the front compartment of a vehicle, and I’d bet I (and anyone else who has gone through the CHL process) could do it in 15 seconds. The assailant would be dead, or mortally wounded, before an arm ever made it through the windshield.
How many reports of CHL holders getting shot with their own guns have you seen/heard?
Kmom…i think you are just looking for an argument…the only person mentioning a gun is you.
@kmom- a 50/50 chance that the assailant would have ended up with a gun? Not a chance. That is absurd.
Good comments, Chief! I sleep better at night knowing you are on the job! I gotta go clean my guns now……….(A proud member of the NRA).
Time to finish off the wall and close off Lovers.
Ladies, Moms……
1. Buy guns (most of you already have them, God Bless you).
2. Thoroughly learn how to properly and effectively use it (this step will also help those of you from, ummmmmm, other areas of the country to overcome your fear of guns. Shhhh, it’s ok, we understand.
3. Have it securely and conveniently available at all times and use as directed.
The above anon is different than my anon.