Law enforcement personnel around North Texas are mourning the loss a Euless police detective killed while he was off duty in a crash with a suspected intoxicated driver.
The Euless community is mourning the loss of an officer killed over the weekend by a suspected intoxicated driver.
Det. Alejandro “Alex” Cervantes died Saturday when a suspected intoxicated driver ran a red light at an intersection in Lake Worth and struck the officer in his personal vehicle while he was off duty.
His wife and two children were inside the vehicle, too. All three were seriously injured but are now in stable condition, according to Euless police Chief Mike Brown.
"I don't know that there's enough words in the English language to convey the heartbreak that you have," he said during a press conference on Sunday. "You can try but words fail when it's just so needless and tragic like this."
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Brown described Cervantes as the kind of person you would hope to raise as a son, adding that it’s a loss not only for the detective’s family and the police department but the entire community.
"If you’re an old guy like me and you have kids, you want your son to grow up like that. If you’re a kid, you want him to be your dad," he said. "Never heard a negative word come out of his mouth about anybody or anything."
Cervantes had served more than 15 years in law enforcement split between first the El Paso Police Department and then the last seven years in Euless.
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According to Lake Worth police investigators, the crash happened Saturday afternoon at the intersection of Boat Club Road and Rocky Point Trail.
Another motorist provided NBC 5 with dashcam video that shows a black Jeep Wrangler running through the intersection. After the crash, bystanders could be seen running to catch the driver of that vehicle who tried to run away.
"I know that there are good people in this world. Good people know right from wrong and they saw wrong, and they were not going to let that get away," Brown said. "The Euless police department will be forever in their debt."
Lake Worth Police said they arrested Dylan Molina, 26, after smelling alcohol on his breath.
Cervantes died at the scene, his wife was in critical condition Sunday night and his two children were taken to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth with serious injuries.
Brown has been with the department for over 40 years and has seen firsthand the loss of each of three officers killed in Euless.
Ofc. David Hofer was shot and killed in an ambush by a suspect in a Euless park on March 1, 2016.
Ofc. Michael Williamson died when his patrol vehicle was struck, also by a drunk driver, on Nov. 28, 1982.
"I was working that night. I was there. The similarities between those two accidents are uncanny. Needless. 39 years later we're working on the same problem because people want to drink and drive. It makes no sense to me," said Brown.
Brown said he is struggling to understand a similar scenario repeating itself.
“To lose a fellow servant, and he was a true servant, like this tragically needlessly - there’s just no excuse for this anymore,” Brown said.
Lake Worth police said their investigation into the crash continued Sunday.
Molina is in the Tarrant County Jail charged with intoxication manslaughter, an accident involving death and three counts of aggravated assault. His bond was set Monday at $300,000.
NBC 5's Candace Sweat contributed to this report.
