Police arrested a suspect Wednesday in the death Monday of Grand Prairie Police Officer Brandon Tsai, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Colbie Hoffman, 22, is facing charges of evading arrest and detention, reported the Dallas Morning News.
Hoffman had eight outstanding warrants in places such as Grand Prairie, Waxahachie, DeSoto, and Bedford. He may face even more charges, according to Grand Prairie Police Chief Daniel Scesney.
Scesney said that the capture of Hoffman was the result of an intensive collaboration between different agencies that included the FBI and the Dallas Police Department.
Tsai, 32, died after his patrol car crashed while pursuing a suspect with an alleged paper license plate.
When Tsai attempted to pull the driver over, he hit another police car that was in front of him, causing him to crash into a light pole.
He died later at a local hospital.
Scesney said at a press conference Thursday that capturing the suspect would help bring healing to Tsai’s family.
The investigation involved looking up every vehicle — more than 200 — with the same paper tags as the suspect until they found a match. Of those, 50 were Chevy Malibus like the one driven by the suspect. Scesney said officers examined 6,000 images from suspect vehicle scans and license plate recognition systems.
The officers noticed that the suspect vehicle had been scanned multiple times at a specific intersection, so they began canvassing the neighborhood in that area for the car. They were eventually led to a home in the 300 block of Hensley Drive, where they spotted a silver Chevy Malibu parked in the driveway with no license plate.
Officers conducted surveillance on the home, later stopping a different vehicle when it left the home. According to Scesney, the driver of that vehicle confirmed that the Malibu was the one that police were looking for and that Hoffman had been driving it during the chase.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for the home and recovered the vehicle, which is being examined for evidence. Hoffman learned that his home was being searched and contacted the Dallas police, allegedly identifying himself as the driver in the chase. Hoffman, who did not want to be arrested in Grand Prairie, turned himself in at a Dallas police station, Scesney said.
Grand Prairie officers used Tsai’s handcuffs when they took Hoffman into custody, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Scesney said Hoffman provided a confession. The police chief declined to go into detail about where the paper tag originated.
A candlelight vigil for Tsai is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at police headquarters in Grand Prairie, 1525 Arkansas Lane. Funeral services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday at Gateway Church, 2404 N. Carrier Pkwy.
