Third teen arrested after Dallas police officer shot during pursuit

A teenager wanted by police after an officer was injured in a shooting last week has been taken into custody, police say.

Dallas Police confirmed Thursday afternoon that 17-year-old D'Adrian Starling had been arrested and charged with evading arrest.

Starling, police said, was riding in a car driven by a teenager who police said opened fire on officers on March 14. When the driver of the car stopped the vehicle outside of an apartment complex, police said Starling escaped on foot.

The driver of the car, identified by police as 17-year-old Jaheart Nickleberry, was arrested at the scene after a short chase on foot. A juvenile 15-year-old girl who also ran was taken into custody after a short chase and also faces a charge of evading arrest.

Three other teenagers who remained in the car after the chase were not charged.

During a news conference earlier this week, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said officers in an unmarked vehicle were working in a covert capacity near Biglow Drive just before 1 a.m. on March 14 when they spotted the driver of a blue Chevy Camaro driving recklessly.

In a video released by the department, the driver of the Camaro made a U-turn in the 3200 block of Easter Avenue and as the driver passed the approaching officers gunfire erupted.

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.

Other officers pursued the vehicle and after a short chase, the driver and a passenger ran from the vehicle at an apartment complex in the 7200 block of Chesterfield.

Nickleberry faces multiple charges including aggravated assault and evading arrest for the shooting. Garcia said Nickleberry 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.

Dallas Police said the investigation is ongoing and more charges could be filed.

Garcia said Monday that the injured officer was a four-year veteran of the department and that he remained hospitalized but in good spirits.

“His spirit, his attitude is something remarkable,” Garcia said.