More details have emerged after a crash that injured two people and killed one last week in Fort Worth.
Officers from the Fort Worth Police Department were pursuing a stolen pickup truck on June 14 when the vehicle hit a pole and struck a passing car.
All three people inside the stolen truck were ejected, including 15-year-old Samaria Ezell, who was pronounced dead at the scene, according to media reports from FOX 4.
The driver — who turned 17 two weeks ago — and the other passenger were taken to the hospital in critical condition.
The incident began around 1 p.m. when a Flock license plate reader camera in South Fort Worth notified Fort Worth police that a stolen Ford crew cab pickup truck was in the area. Officers attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the driver sped off and fled the scene.
“As the vehicle traveled eastbound on Altamesa here, it struck another uninvolved vehicle and rolled several times, ejecting the occupants,” FWPD Sgt. Jason Spencer told FOX 4.
The driver’s name has not yet been released, and Fort Worth police said the other passenger would not face criminal charges.
Brian Mingate, a 24-year-old UT Arlington student, was the driver of the Toyota Corolla that was struck by the stolen truck. He spoke to FOX 4 about his experience.
“I was just minding my business,” Mingate said. “It was just too much to wrap around my head.”
Mingate said he had no severe injuries and was grateful that the situation wasn’t worse.
“[I] just thank God that he saved my life and everything,” Mingate told FOX 4.
Vehicle thefts are a continuing problem in the city of Dallas. During the first four months of the year, vehicle thefts increased 19% compared to the same period last year, according to the City of Dallas Open Data crime analytics dashboard.
Crime continues to plague the downtown area of Dallas as the City’s police department faces a shortage of officers, as was recently reported by The Dallas Express. DPD currently employs around 3,100 officers, a number Chief Eddie Garcia told The Dallas Express is “hundreds” lower than the department needs.
The crime rate is much lower in downtown Fort Worth, which has police and security units dedicated to patrolling the area.
