District 1 Council Member Chad West saw a year-over-year spike in assault offenses in his council district last month.
West was named The Dallas Express’ April Crime Boss of the Month for the considerable increase in criminal activity in March. It was his third time being Crime Boss this year, with him earning the title in January and February.
District 1 is located southwest of the Central Business District and is bordered by I-30 to the north, Illinois Avenue to the south, and I-35 to the east. Its western border traces around Cockrell Hill.
In March 2024, a total of 111 assault offenses were reported for a 23.3% increase year over year. Simple assaults rose the most, with 88 reports clocked for a 49.2% hike, per the City’s crime analytics dashboard.
The Dallas Police Department shared new details with DX about some of the assaults committed in District 1 last month.
An incident on March 9 reportedly saw a female victim punched in the face by an unknown male assailant while at a business in the 2500 block of West Jefferson Boulevard. Police said the suspect had left the scene and is still at large.
Heated tempers were at the heart of some of the offenses, such as an episode occurring in the early morning hours of March 24 in which a male victim was allegedly punched by 32-year-old Dereck Broadnax during an argument in the 300 block of Centre Street. According to DPD, the suspect had fled the scene prior to the arrival of officers, but he was later found and arrested on assault charges.
Just the day before, the district saw an apparent road rage incident in the 500 block of Westmoreland Road. Officers responded to a call for service there at around 4 p.m. on March 23. A male victim had been in a vehicle collision with an unidentified suspect who pulled a gun and pointed it at him during an argument. The suspect fled the scene and has still not been identified.
Another two assault offenses recorded in the district also involved weapons.
On March 7 at around 8:40 a.m., a male victim was allegedly threatened by an assailant brandishing a knife in the 2500 block of South Hampton Road. Responding police officers identified 69-year-old Richard Lutz as the suspect and arrested him on charges of aggravated assault. He is currently being held in Dallas County jail on two counts of aggravated assault in lieu of a $100,000 bond.
Just over a week later, shortly before 8 p.m. on March 16, DPD received reports of a shooting at the intersection of Mount Ranier Street and Mount Nebo Street. Arriving on the scene, officers uncovered a male victim shot in the upper abdomen and saw that he was transported to a local hospital. His wounds proved to be non-life-threatening. However, the suspect — who purportedly fired from a vehicle — is still at large.
Mirroring a larger trend seen in victims of violent crime citywide, the overwhelming majority of victims of assaults in District 1 in March were Hispanic or black, as indicated by City data.
Although a City analysis previously recommended a police force of roughly 4,000 officers to get police response times down and properly maintain public safety, DPD currently only has around 3,000 sworn officers. This longstanding manpower shortage might persist given that City leaders have budgeted only $654 million for DPD this fiscal year.
Compared to other high-crime jurisdictions, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City, policing in Dallas receives considerably less taxpayer money.
The Dallas Express, The People’s Paper, believes that important information about the city, such as crime rates and trends, should be easily accessible to you. Dallas has more crime per capita than hotspots like Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and New York, according to data from the FBI’s UCR database.
How did your area stack up on crime? Check out our interactive Crime Map to compare all Dallas City Council Districts. Curious how we got our numbers? Check out our methodology page here.