As November draws to a close, reported robberies are skyrocketing in Dallas, with significant double-digit increases from the previous month of October.
As of Sunday, November 27, the Dallas Police Department clocked 33 business robberies and 147 robberies committed against individuals, according to a department report. The numbers to date show increases of 16 robberies against businesses and 23 robberies against individuals compared to the first 27 days of October.
Additionally, compared to the same month-to-date last year, this month’s figures constitute hikes of 17.86% for robberies against businesses and 30.09% for robberies against individuals.
Some of this November’s numbers were driven by a recently arrested robbery suspect named Jerrell Mays, 18, who authorities charged with participating in at least 10 business robberies in Dallas County, many of which occurred within Dallas city limits. He is currently held on $100,000 to $150,000 bond per count of aggravated robbery, totaling more than $1.8 million.
However, another man’s violent crime spree, which also contributed to November’s robbery hike, proved more tragic for Dallas County residents.
As previously reported in The Dallas Express, accused murderer and robbery suspect Garrett Hamilton, 29, went on a tear through Dallas and its surrounding communities in late October and early November, allegedly killing Clarence Howard, 48, and Lorenz Nussbaum, 47, and committing at least four armed robberies, three of which occurred within Dallas city limits.
Based on incident report numbers provided by the Dallas Police Department’s records section, Hamilton allegedly robbed two people at gunpoint in two separate incidents on West 12th Street, at the southeast end of the Bishop Arts District.
On November 2, around 5:30 a.m., Hamilton allegedly robbed his first victim of the day. Five hours later, he apparently held up another individual, not even a block from where police responded to the first call. The victim was at an ATM when Hamilton reportedly approached, pointing a gun and demanding money.
Two days later, on November 4, Hamilton allegedly committed another armed robbery at an ATM outside the Comerica Bank on the 5200 block of East R. L. Thornton Freeway.
Tragically, Hamilton’s alleged violent crime spree could have been averted if the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office did not strike a deal with him in 2019 when he was indicted for felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the commission of a robbery.
The Dallas Express discovered in court documents that the DA’s office and Hamilton’s defense agreed five years’ probation was a fitting penalty for that crime. The case is reminiscent of when Cameron Hogg allegedly murdered Dallas resident Asia Womack last month. Hogg was both on parole and probation at the time.
The recent violence in Dallas County follows District Attorney John Creuzot’s “soft on crime” approach, which claims to “identify probation-eligible offenders who may be safely and effectively supervised in the community given available community resources,” as previously reported in The Dallas Express.
Hamilton is currently being held in Dallas County jail on a slew of charges. It is unclear whether his bond will be lowered and he will be allowed to await trial at his home.
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.