Copyright 2006
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
SCOTT FARWELL, Staff Writer
Police and fire officials said the new year opened as expected Sunday - with a spasm of chaos and carnage.
In Dallas, a police officer shot and wounded a man who was holding a woman hostage at knifepoint. Two men died in single-vehicle accidents, a driver for a wrecker service was killed in a hit-and-run accident, and a woman was in critical condition after being rear-ended on Central Expressway.
Hundreds of shots were fired into the air at midnight, and two people were injured in the revelry. One man shot himself in the leg while reloading, and another man was grazed by random gunfire.
In Fort Worth, a man survived four gunshots after an argument in a Waffle House parking lot.
It was a busy night for police and fire officials around the region, but not unusual for the biggest party night of the year.
“As far as actual random gunfire between 10 and 1 a.m., we had 101 calls ... but there were probably five times that many [incidents],” said Dallas Police Department Senior Cpl. Jamie Kimbrough. “It was about normal.”
Dallas police Cpl. Jackie Tahbone confronted a man who was holding a woman at knifepoint about 5:30 a.m. at an apartment complex on Peterson Lane in North Dallas, Cpl. Kimbrough said. Cpl. Tahbone shot the man after he stabbed the woman.
The woman and man were transported to Parkland Memorial Hospital. Cpl. Kimbrough would not identify either person or provide information about the nature of their injuries. She said Dallas police would conduct a standard officer-involved shooting investigation.
Cpl. Tahbone said department rules prevent her from commenting on the incident.
Lt. Roseanna Renaud spoke on her behalf.
“I think that Jackie used amazing restraint in handling this very dangerous situation, and in doing so she saved the life of this lady,” Lt. Renaud said. “It doesn’t matter how justified you are, having to fire your weapon and hurt someone, it’s difficult. Jackie likes to solve problems by talking.”
She said it was the first time Cpl. Tahbone had fired her weapon in an on-duty situation.
A major accident occurred about 5 p.m. Saturday on southbound Central Expressway near the Lover’s Lane exit.
Cpl. Kimbrough said a woman was in her car, parked on the highway shoulder, when the car was struck from behind by a van. The woman was transported to Baylor University Medical Center, where she was listed in critical condition.
Cpl. Kimbrough would not identify the driver or the victim. She said the driver of the van was arrested, but she did not know on what charge.
Just before 3 a.m. Sunday in Fort Worth, a homeless person was hit and killed on East 12th Street, according to dispatchers. A police spokesman had no other information.
Minutes later in Fort Worth, a man shot another man four times in the parking lot of a Waffle House at 150 E. Loop 820. The victim was taken to the hospital and was listed in stable condition. The shooter fled the scene and has not been arrested, according to a Fort Worth police spokesman.
A tow-truck driver was killed in a hit-and-run accident early Sunday in Irving. Juan Guzman, 30, of Plano was loading a vehicle at 5:23 a.m. in the 400 block of West Airport Freeway when a passing car struck him, Irving police said.
The vehicle is described as a white GMC model sedan that has a tan pinstripe. The sedan was damaged on the right front. Mr. Guzman worked for Walnut Hill Wrecker Service.
A 21-year-old man died in Dallas when his sport utility vehicle hit a curb and struck a telephone pole on Fitzhugh Avenue about 5:30 a.m. Toxicology reports are pending. Cpl. Kimbrough would not release the man’s name because the next of kin had not been notified.
Staff writers Marissa Alanis and Tanya Eiserer contributed to this report.
E-mail sfarwell@dallasnews.com