A Dallas police officer has been fired after officials say the officer filed inconsistent and misleading statements regarding an investigation that led to felony charges being filed against a citizen.
According to the Dallas Police Department, officer Eric Watts was involved in a chase with a driver police officers tried to pull over for speeding. When the motorist slowed for traffic at a stop sign, Watts exited his vehicle, pulled out his weapon and told the driver to get out of the car.
The driver drove off and, according to Watts, drove over his foot.
The motorist was eventually stopped and arrested on a charge of aggravated assault on a public servant, a felony that carries a possible sentence of 5 to 99 years in jail.
After a review of the dashcam video, it was determined that the driver had not run over Watts' foot -- which prompted an internal affairs investigation. That investigation determined that Watts gave false or inaccurate information in a department report.
"Officer Watts’ actions are particularly disturbing because the false information he provided led to an arrest of the driver for a felony charge that carries a possible prison term of 5 to 99 years," the department said in a news release Monday.
For those actions, Chief David Brown terminated Watts. Under civil service rules, Watts has a right to appeal his termination.
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Watts had been with the department since 2005 and was working out of the Northwest Division.
