Three people were arrested in Shreveport, Louisiana, last week for allegedly shooting a Dallas police officer.
Redricous Lewis, 19, Redtravion Polk, 17, and Xavier Cook, 18, were taken into custody on August 9. They were charged with aggravated robbery after allegedly shooting an officer with the Dallas Police Department (DPD) and stealing his car earlier in the day, according to a DPD blog post.
Police said the suspects could still face additional charges. Polk and Cook also face unspecified charges in Louisiana.
The shooting happened in Council Member Omar Narvaez’s District 6 at 12:45 a.m. in the 2400 block of Northwest Highway near Harry Hines Boulevard. The suspects pulled up behind the undercover officer’s vehicle and blocked his car from moving.
“At least two suspects exited the vehicle. One of the suspects armed with two firearms approached our officer. When our officer noticed these individuals approaching the car, the officer exited his vehicle. Soon after that, an exchange of gunfire happened between the suspects and our officer. Our officer retreated for cover. As that gunfire ensued, the officer was shot at least one time,” said Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia at a press conference, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
As of August 13, there have been 11,105 motor vehicle thefts logged in 2023, according to a DPD report.
Many of Dallas’ auto thefts occur Downtown. According to an analysis conducted by the Metroplex Civic and Business Association, Dallas police logged 70 instances of motor vehicle theft in the neighborhood in March 2023, while Fort Worth’s downtown area only reported three. Downtown Fort Worth is patrolled by a dedicated police unit and private security guards.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, DPD is currently severely understaffed, with only around 3,100 officers on duty. A City analysis recommends maintaining about three officers for every 1,000 residents, putting an ideal force for a city of Dallas’ size at roughly 4,000 officers.