Man Shot, Killed After Running Over Arlington Officer
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
ARLINGTON (CBS11) - Arlington Police say it's amazing an officer is alive after being run over not once, but twice.
The driver of the car was shot and killed with three passengers, including a 2-year-old girl, in the back seat.
Arlington Police said during a traffic stop for allegedly throwing drug paraphernalia out a window, a 14-year veteran corporal officer realized the driver, 23-year-old Tavis Crane, had a warrant for evading arrest and a probation violation. With two backup officers behind her, the corporal tried to persuade Crane to get out of the car.
"The female corporal, just as polite as she can be, basically pleading with the driver, 'Hey, you're under arrest. you need to get out of the vehicle'," Arlington Police spokesperson Chris Cook said after viewing dash cam video which hasn't yet been released to the public.
Police said Crane started to roll up the windows and take off. But the passenger in the back seat apparently knew that wasn't a good idea.
"The backseat passenger actually unlocked the back, the rear door," Cook said. "Obviously they didn't want to be involved in this either."
The backup officer tried to reach for the keys as the corporal moved back from the car.
"When she started to cross between her patrol car, that's when the vehicle got put into reverse," Cook said. "It knocked her down to the ground. Ran over her with the rear axle. And then the driver put it in drive and ran her over again. Now you're in a situation where you've got an officer in the car while this is unfolding."
The officer in the back seat pulled his weapon.
"I was sleeping in my bedroom and I heard a gunshot," said witness Syed Nasir who lives nearby. "I don't know, it was like four gunshots. Three or four. Also screaming and noise at the same time."
Crane was shot multiple times in the torso according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner website. Police used emergency medical kits they carry and performed CPR, but Crane died.
Sources said the officer suffered broken ribs, lower vertebrae and ankles.
"It's a very hard thing to watch and put into perspective that she is not more injured than she is," Cook said.
Police said none of the passengers were injured or considered suspects and the 2-year-old is safe with family.
(©2017 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
