A man was arrested early Monday for allegedly driving while intoxicated after he failed to stop at a flashing red light and struck a Dallas police squad car.
The crash occurred near Dallas Love Field Airport on Cedar Springs Road and Manor Way around 3 a.m. while the police officer was traveling northward on a routine call, according to Fox 4 KDFW.
A Chevy Camaro was heading west at the same time and allegedly ran the red light, hitting the Dallas police squad car. The impact caused the officer’s vehicle to veer off the road, while the Camaro crashed into a utility pole.
The intersection is controlled by flashing lights; the officer had a flashing yellow, while the driver of the Camaro had a flashing red light, police said, as reported by Fox 4.
Neither the male driver nor the female passenger was injured in the incident. The unidentified man was arrested for driving while intoxicated.
The police officer was taken to the hospital following the crash, but the extent of their injuries is unclear at this time.
None of the individuals involved have been identified at this time.
This incident comes as the City continues to deal with a lack of police officers, despite a recent proposition passed by voters meant to address these issues. Proposition U, which stipulates that the Dallas Police Department must have a minimum of 4,000 police officers, was passed by voters as an amendment to the City Charter in November 2024.
Dallas has done little to address the details outlined in the amendment, with the City currently having just 3,100 police officers and falling significantly short of the minimum requirement. This lack of action prompted Dallas HERO, a coalition of residents and community leaders, to write a letter to the Dallas City Council demanding that action be taken to fulfill the amendment’s mandate, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The letter states that the “amendment is not a suggestion” and that the City must act quickly to hire more police officers.