A Dallas school police officer stopped to help a man near a freeway. Federal prosecutors now say that encounter turned into a struggle in which the man grabbed the officer’s gun and shot him in the leg.
Jose Santiago Pantoja-Morales, 27, has been indicted on a federal firearms charge after the Aug. 6 incident involving a Dallas Independent School District police officer, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
Prosecutors Say the Officer Offered Help
According to a federal complaint cited by prosecutors, Pantoja-Morales, a Mexican national whom prosecutors say was in the United States illegally, had jumped out of a co-worker’s car and into the center median near the Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway.
The co-worker flagged down a uniformed DISD officer who was on routine patrol. Prosecutors said the officer offered Pantoja-Morales a ride to a nearby safe location.
Ride Allegedly Turned Into a Struggle
During the ride, prosecutors said Pantoja-Morales began rummaging through the officer’s bag in the back seat. The officer pulled over and attempted to remove him from the vehicle, but prosecutors allege Pantoja-Morales resisted.
A physical struggle followed. During that fight, Pantoja-Morales allegedly grabbed the officer’s gun and fired one shot, striking the officer in the femoral artery of his right leg, according to the complaint.
Prosecutors said the wounded officer regained control of the gun. Pantoja-Morales ran from the scene and was quickly apprehended by law enforcement.
Another DISD officer provided medical care at the scene before the injured officer was taken to Parkland Hospital for additional treatment, prosecutors said.
Federal Charge Carries Up to 15 Years
A federal grand jury returned an indictment Sept. 16 charging Pantoja-Morales with possession of a firearm by an illegal alien, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould described the alleged conduct as “an attack on the rule of law and a direct threat to public safety.”
“Every day, we ask the men and women who wear the badge to stand between good and evil,” Raybould said in a news release. “It is my duty — and the duty of this office — to do all we can to protect those who protect us.”
Raybould added, “Violence against an officer will not be tolerated, and we will pursue this prosecution with the utmost rigor to ensure full accountability.”
Pantoja-Morales is awaiting transfer to federal custody under a writ of habeas corpus filed Wednesday, prosecutors said. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in federal prison.
The ATF Dallas Field Office and Dallas Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadin-Sarah Salkic is prosecuting.
