Dallas police released new details and video Monday about a shooting that injured one of their own.
Police said the driver of a stolen car full of teenagers opened fire on an officer in an unmarked vehicle and led law enforcement on a 10-minute pursuit.
According to the Dallas Police Department, at approximately 12:45 a.m. on March 14, officers were working in a covert capacity near Biglow Drive when they spotted a blue Chevy Camaro driving recklessly.
An officer followed in an unmarked vehicle.
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Video released by the department showed the Camaro making a U-turn in the 3200 block of Easter Avenue. As it passed the approaching officer gunfire erupts.
Police said the driver of the Camaro fired five rounds at the unmarked vehicle, hitting it twice. One of the rounds went into the driver’s door striking the officer in the hip. That officer did not return fire and was rushed to the hospital to undergo surgery, according to Dallas Police.
The chase ended at an apartment complex in the 7200 block of Chesterfield.
Police said the dashcam video showed the driver getting out of the vehicle with a gun in his hand. After a foot pursuit, the driver was arrested and identified as 17-year-old Jaheart Nickleberry.
Chief Eddie Garcia said Nickleberry is a documented gang member and the Chevy Camaro was stolen.
“We are lucky we did not lose a Dallas officer that day,” Garcia said. “Whether Nickleberry knew a Dallas police officer was inside that car or not he fired into an occupied vehicle showing no regard for human life. This is the type of crime that our men and women work every day to prevent to put this type of violent criminal behind bars to make our streets safer.”
Nickleberry faces multiple charges including aggravated assault and evading arrest for the shooting.
Garcia said he was also connected to an aggravated robbery that occurred earlier that night in the 3500 block of Cripple Creek and a home invasion that led to an officer-involved shooting in Glenn Heights.
According to police, five other teenagers were in the stolen Camaro at the time of Thursday’s shooting. A male passenger who fled on foot has yet to be identified or caught by police. A 15-year-old female was caught after a foot chase and faces a charge of evading arrest, while three other teenagers who remained in the car were not charged.
Three guns were also recovered.
According to police, one gun was found inside the vehicle, a second at the apartment complex, and a third was thrown out of the window during the pursuit on Interstate 20 and Wheatland Road. Investigators said that the gun was reported stolen out of Shreveport, Louisiana.
Dallas Police said the investigation is ongoing and more charges could be filed.
As for the injured officer, Garcia said the four-year veteran of the department remains hospitalized but in good spirits.
“His spirit, his attitude is something remarkable,” Garcia said.
