Police are still looking for the suspects who carjacked an undercover police officer and shot him early Wednesday morning.
The incident happened at 12:45 a.m. on August 9 in the 2400 block of West Northwest Highway near Harry Hines Boulevard, according to NBC 5 DFW.
The suspects pulled up behind the undercover officer’s vehicle and essentially “pinned” him in, said Chief Eddie Garcia at a press conference.
“At least two suspects exited the vehicle. One of the suspects armed with two firearms approached our officer. When our officer noticed these individuals approaching the car, the officer exited his vehicle. Soon after that, an exchange of gunfire happened between the suspects and our officer. Our officer retreated for cover. As that gunfire ensued, the officer was shot at least one time,” said Garcia.
Police are unsure if any of the suspects were hit with gunfire during the exchange, but they are looking for three men, and at least one of them is armed.
The suspects were able to steal the officer’s Dodge Challenger, but it was found nearby. The officer was able to call 911 and indicate that he had been shot and his car was stolen.
The officer was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital. According to police, the officer was discharged by 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
At this time, the officer has not been identified.
Garcia said air and ground support are actively being utilized to find the suspects responsible.
The officer was conducting surveillance at the time of the attack when the suspects pulled behind his unmarked car, according to Garcia.
The shooting happened in Council Member Omar Narvaez’s District 6. The City of Dallas has seen 153 homicides this year – up from 144 during the same period last year, according to police data updated on August 5.
Neighboring Fort Worth has successfully reduced crime in its city center by instituting a focused police force that includes private security in its downtown area — something Dallas currently does not have.
A City of Dallas analysis found that the Dallas Police Department is short about 900 police officers. A city the size of Dallas needs roughly 4,000 police officers, per the report, while Dallas currently only employs 3,100 police officers.
