Monster Truck Theft Precedes 4 Arrests, Police Shooting: DeSoto PD

A stolen monster truck led to four arrests, a police chase, an injured police officer and an officer-involved shooting, DeSoto police said.

Dallas Hale and Matt Saba, owners of the Shell Shack in Plano, reported that someone had stolen their promotional monster truck Feb. 20.

On Feb. 22, DeSoto police said they located the truck and arrested 51-year-old David Cloud Campbell in connection with the theft.

Police said Thursday someone then gave them a tip about additional stolen vehicles, related to the theft of the monster truck, at a home in DeSoto.

DeSoto police shot a driver who backed into a police officer during a chase Thursday afternoon, police say.

When officers arrived at the home in the 10000 block of Beckley View Avenue in unincorporated Dallas County, 27-year-old Paul Lee jumped into a dually pickup truck and sped away.

Lee crashed shortly after, exited the truck and hopped into the passenger seat of a waiting Ford Mustang, police said.

DeSoto police said officers, who were wearing body cameras, ordered lee and the driver, 38-year-old Carl Eric Meyer, to exit the vehicle several times. Meyer then then backed the Mustang into an officer, leading another officer to fire several shots into the car. The car then backed into a wooden residential fence before coming to a stop.

"This gentleman came forward today and said there is additional suspects related to that. And there's a stolen vehicle parked at this residence, or at this location, right now," DeSoto Police Department Cpl. Nick Bristow told NBC 5.

The DeSoto officer that was struck was injured, but is expected to be OK.

Meyer was taken to Methodist Dallas Medical Center. Dallas County Sheriff's officials said he is expected to survive. He faces a charge of aggravated assault of a public servant with a deadly weapon.

Lee was arrested and charged with evading arrest in a motor vehicle. His sister, 30-year-old Amanda Michelle Lee, was a also in the Mustang and faces a charge of engaging in organized crime.

NBC 5's Ben Russell contributed to this report.

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