A Dallas tow truck driver was charged with manslaughter after allegedly running over a man while towing away his vehicle.
Dallas police were dispatched to a parking lot off Shoreview Road in Lake Highlands at approximately 3:20 a.m. on December 3. There, they found 67-year-old James Smith injured and unresponsive. Smith was transported to a hospital for treatment, where he later died.
Investigators said they believe that Smith was run over after he fell while attempting to jump onto the driver’s side of his vehicle as it was being towed from a parking lot. The tow truck driver, 25-year-old Roberto Padilla, was arrested by police at the Dallas Auto Pound on charges of manslaughter.
Typically ruled as a second-degree felony, a manslaughter conviction would have Padilla facing a minimum of two years and a maximum of 20 years in prison, as well as a fine of up to $10,000.
The incident occurred in the 10000 block of Shoreview Road in District 10, which is represented by Council Member Kathy Stewart.
Dallas has seen a steady rise in homicide offenses this year, with 18 negligent manslaughter offenses and 229 murders and non-negligent homicides logged in the City’s crime analytics dashboard as of December 4.
Although the Dallas Police Department has endeavored to reduce violent crime in the city by employing a targeted approach in which officers are deployed to hot spots, a staffing shortage has dampened these efforts, as reported by The Dallas Express.
DPD currently fields only around 3,000 officers. A City analysis previously recommended an ideal staffing number of 4,000. The effects of this shortage are most apparent in Downtown Dallas, where significantly higher crime rates are logged regularly compared to downtown Fort Worth, which is patrolled by a designated police unit alongside private security guards.