A high-speed police chase in Dallas on Thursday morning ended in a fatal collision involving three vehicles.
At about 10:45 a.m. on October 12, Dallas police officers spotted a stolen Dodge pickup in a parking lot along the 1200 block of South Buckner Boulevard.
The driver, later identified as 40-year-old John Carter, allegedly noticed the officers approaching the pickup and quickly backed up, ramming the marked patrol car and taking off southbound.
Police followed in pursuit of the suspect until he crashed into two other vehicles in the 10900 block of Elam Road, roughly 4 miles from the first location. A city marshal and a man named Tereso Ramirez were the other drivers, and they sustained no injuries despite significant damage to their vehicles.
However, Carter was ejected from the pickup in the crash, leading to significant injuries. He died on the scene.
Ramirez’s aunt Gracie Reyes went to help her nephew gather his belongings from his crashed vehicle and the street.
“Terrible,” she told NBC 5 DFW. “I don’t know how it happened or what, but just terrible.”
The incident occurred in District 5, which is represented by Council Member Jaime Resendez. A total of 669 incidents of motor vehicle theft were reported there this year as of October 13, according to Dallas PD’s crime analytics dashboard.
Citywide auto theft has surged over 40% year over year, with 14,705 incidents reported so far this year compared to 10,456 logged by this time last year.
Despite this huge increase, Dallas PD has struggled to mount an effective response. For instance, officers are averaging more than 90 minutes to respond to a call concerning a motor vehicle theft in progress, as previously covered in The Dallas Express. Moreover, two auto thefts were reported in August in downtown Fort Worth, whereas 87 were logged in Downtown Dallas that same month.
While Fort Worth reportedly patrols its city center with a dedicated neighborhood police unit supported by private security guards, Dallas PD has been laboring against a longstanding staffing shortage.
A City analysis recommends a municipality of Dallas’ size should have around 4,000 sworn officers on staff — three for every 1,000 residents — yet the department currently maintains a force of fewer than 3,200 officers.