A Dallas man allegedly tried to avoid responsibility for a collision that killed a woman by fleeing the scene and then calling 911 to report that he was robbed at gunpoint and his vehicle was stolen.
Billy Ray Williamson was arrested by Dallas police in connection with a hit-and-run in Pleasant Grove that occurred in the early morning hours of January 24.
The 26-year-old suspect is believed to have lost control of his SUV after hitting the curb while driving at a very high speed northbound on Jim Miller Road. His vehicle reportedly slammed into a signal pole, spun and flipped, striking a Toyota Corolla waiting at a red light at the intersection of Jim Miller and Bruton Roads.
Witnesses allegedly saw Williamson climb out from the window of his vehicle and flee the scene, according to Fox 4 KDFW.
The driver of the Corolla, Maria Guerrero, 42, was critically injured in the accident and eventually died at a nearby hospital. Described as “[s]trong, independent, loving, and caring” by her niece, Marlenne Hernandez, Guerrero was just minutes away from home.
“What kind of person would do that to an innocent person who didn’t deserve that? She was coming from work,” Hernandez told Fox 4.
Approximately five hours after the collision, 911 dispatchers allegedly fielded a call from Williamson, who claimed to have been robbed at gunpoint and had his vehicle stolen. Police officers caught up with him at a gas station roughly three miles from the hit-and-run scene.
An arrest affidavit explained that Williamson matched the description provided by witnesses of the person seen fleeing the scene, and he was not wearing any shoes. Investigators found a rubber boot underneath the dashboard of the suspect’s car.
Williamson was arrested and booked in Dallas County jail on a $50,000 bond on charges of collision involving death. He also had outstanding warrants in Rockwall for undisclosed offenses.
The hit-and-run occurred in District 5, which Council Member Jaime Resendez represents.
The metroplex has clocked several fatal hit-and-run incidents in recent months, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
In Downtown Dallas alone, a year-over-year increase of 41.7% in auto thefts was logged between 2022 and 2023, according to the City’s crime analytics dashboard data. The neighborhood has seen considerable spikes in criminality overall as the Dallas Police Department grapples with a prolonged staffing shortage.
DPD fields approximately 3,000 officers despite a City report calling for roughly 4,000 to maintain public safety properly. The department’s budget also pales in comparison to those seen in other high-crime jurisdictions, such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago, with Dallas city officials allotting just $654 million in taxpayer funds this fiscal year to police operations.
Monthly studies show that Downtown Dallas logs seven times more crime than Fort Worth’s city center, which has a dedicated special police unit and private security guards patrol.
