Trending Topics

Dallas officer fired, another suspended after failing to help driver who crashed

The officers had attempted to pull over a driver whose headlights were off; the driver didn’t stop, leading to a short pursuit, which ended in the driver later crashing

AdVfApr4mf.png

Photo/screenshot

By Sarah Calams
Police1

DALLAS — A Dallas Police Department officer has been fired and another was suspended for 30 days after they failed to help a driver who crashed his car after a pursuit in May.

Senior Cpl. Leonard Anderson and Darrien Robertson, who was being trained by Anderson at the time, attempted to pull over a driver whose headlights were off after leaving a convenience store on May 13, WFAA.com reported. The driver didn’t stop, leading to a short pursuit before it was called off due to department policy. Seconds after the officers cancelled the pursuit, the driver jumped a curb and crashed on the side of a road.

“Did you see that?” Robertson can be heard asking on dash cam video.

“That’s his fault,” Anderson replies.

The vehicle soon became engulfed in flames. DPD Chief Eddie Garcia said the officers returned to the crash scene after the vehicle had caught fire, but he was “embarrassed” and “outraged,” saying: “This is not what we stand for.”

Nearby good Samaritans helped the driver until Dallas Fire-Rescue arrived. The driver did survive.

“Those citizens did an admirable job – and did a job that our officers should have done,” Garcia said.

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU