The officer was trying to detain another man and had grabbed him by the waist when he tried to jump through a window into a Chevrolet Trailblazer. People inside the vehicle tried to pull him into the SUV, pinning the officer’s arms against the side of the Trailblazer and dragging him through the parking lot, according to a press release from police public information officer Carroll Smith.
The officer was patrolling near Elms and South Fort Hood Street when he saw several people involved in a disturbance in the parking lot of Spurs Nightclub at 600 W. Elms Road, Smith said in the press release.
According to the release: The crowd had moved the fight across the street when the officer approached. One man ran away and the officer gave chase. The man ran into Spurs’ parking lot and tried to jump through the passenger window of a blue Chevrolet Trailblazer. The officer grabbed him around the waist while people inside the vehicle tried to pull the man into the vehicle. The driver accelerated, pinning the officer’s arms to the vehicle and dragging him. The officer worked his right arm free, pulling his weapon and firing at the driver as he continued to be dragged. The officer freed his other arm and fell to the pavement. The driver drove around the building, hit a silver Nissan Sentra that was parked on the side of the Starlight Club and hit several handrails along the steps of the club before coming to a stop.
The driver was taken to Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center where he was pronounced dead by Justice of the Peace Bill Cooke at 3:38 a.m. An autopsy has been ordered. His name is being withheld pending notification of family.
The injured officer, whose name is not being released at this time, was also taken to Darnall where he was treated and released. He was placed on administrative leave while the incident is investigated, as is police department protocol.
Smith said several people were arrested in relation to the incident, including the man in the window. She did not have any information on charges.
