1. Hey, San Antonio. You know what? Looks like you’re the big city with the highest crime rate in the country. Dallas is now No. 2 — which maybe doesn’t sound that awesome. But crime is down in Dallas 17.5 percent through April. Go, Kunkle! Go, Kunkle! Get your badge on!
2. Oh. Except there was that carjacking at gunpoint in Northwest Dallas. And the two bodies found this morning in an abondoned car in East Oak Cliff. And …
3. A FrontBurnervian needs your help. She lives off Lovers Lane in the Ridgewood Park neighborhood, which yesterday was the site of some pretty serious — and mysterious — police activity. The cops wouldn’t tell her what happened, and there’s been nothing on the news. Her tale is after the jump. If you have info, share it in the comments.
UP and Dallas police were EVERYWHERE in our neighborhood yesterday from about 4 to 7pm, probably 20 to 30 cars, more officers. Evidence was a black 70/80s model Lincoln crashed into a fire hydrant at the corner of Lovers Lane and Rexton Lane.
Guns drawn, the police searched everyone’s backyard, garages, fences, anywhere someone could hide. From the open driver’s door on the Lincoln, I’ll assume they were searching for the driver. K-9 units were all over, as well as the chopper. A 10-block radius seemed to be shut down for over an hour. Luckily, I wasn’t home, but my husband called me with this report and I was allowed back into the neighborhood around 5 with our infant daughter. Police were active in the neighborhood until about 7, then all activity died off.
When I asked one of the UP officers what was going on and if we should be concerned for our safety (armed and dangerous, or just an idiot?), he looked at me like I was speaking in tongues, turned his back, and got back into his Yukon.
I can’t find anything about what was going on on wfaa.com or DMN. Help. A little information for the concerned residents of our ‘hood (Ridgewood Park) sure would be helpful as there are many families with small children as well as lot of very senior citizens and most don’t know if it’s safe out there.
32 comments
First!
Can’t remember how to use comments.
Hey, let’s not turn this into a referendum on the value of comments. Let’s just enjoy it for what it is: an easy source for comedy/citizen journalism. Not that they’re one and the same.
I have zero evidence to link the two, but there was a big wreck at Greenville and Lovers around that same time. Looked like one car had been knocked into another car that was waiting to turn. I drove past the wreck at around 4, and they finally cleared it at nearly 6:15.
Police incident report just says suspect fled scene after MVA and collision with a $1,500 fire hydrant. http://66.97.146.94/dpdpublic/ReportOutput/11270024.html
Wow – incident report for other accident also indicates the black Lincoln was involved in that one too which resulted in an injury to the complainant. Somebody had a bad day. http://66.97.146.94/dpdpublic/ReportOutput/1673216556.html
I’m more than a little disappointed that here we stand at 7 comments and not a single reference has been made to Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. Shameful.
Thanks FB nation. Apparently the DPD took overnight to update their reports, I looked last night. Would still be nice to know if said suspect was captured and/or if considered dangerous and at large… And whoa, yay for comments! Constructive ones!
The issue of asking cops what’s going on at the scene of an incident is a touchy one. There’s no reason for an officer to be rude and it’s totally understandable for a resident (be they a parent of a newborn or a senior citizen or whatever) to be concerned when they see two dozen squad cars in their neighborhood.
But you can kind of see the cop’s side too (again, minus the attitude and rudeness) because the last thing that they need is to throw the entire block into a panic.
Also, I want to know what the driver of the Lincoln was doing before the first accident that caused him to commit accident #1 and accident #2.
And I’m glad Wes enjoyed my comedic take on what was definitely a very scary situation I didn’t take lightly. Inquiring minds want to know S’up in their ‘hood.
lol wut?
Perhaps the police thought this was the vehicle involved in the rash of purse snatchings targeting elderly ladies. That vehicle was described as a late model black 4 door.
Then again, maybe I’m just looking for an excuse to say ‘rash’ and ’snatch’ in the same sentence for the couple ill advised seconds comments are allowed.
A good way to avoid inciting a panic is to give responsible adults a measured but true statement of fact. A good way to incite panic is to give no information that allows — practically induces — people’s minds to wander. IJS.
M2theJ, sorry if I came off wrong there. My point (poorly made, natch) was more to the baby/bathwater nature of eliminating the ability to comment.
Good point, Wes. Perhaps this particular officer was the Danny Glover of UP. A few weeks from retirement and, quite frankly, getting too old for this…
Sounds to me like it was just a typical response to a person of ethnicity driving through the Park Cities.
WOW! WA allowed comments? A new day dawning?
No. Just a soon-corrected mistake.
JB, the Ridgewood Park neighborhood is near Lovers and Skillman, NOT in the Park Cities.
Kunkle told us last year that crime stats were going to start showing Dallas more favorably, mainly because they are going to combine crimes at one location into one crime stat. 15 cars broken into in one parking lot is one crime stat. Crime ain’t down, just the stats.
Ya’ll are gonna be in trouble with Wick…
Yep, serious doo-doo…
@Rhymnocerous: The context of the account from the reader and the fact that the suspect was on Lovers leads one to believe that the suspect must have been “red and blue lighted” in UP, then continued driving east on Lovers into Dallas.
Why the driver was asked to pull over in the Park Cities is not known, given the context of the account. I won’t venture a guess, but JB seems to be on the right track.
Can some explain how it is that a city as rich as Dallas has led the country in crime for a decade? Now we have a slight drop, prob just some stat massaging. But are there actually more cops on the street, new methods of policing?
@prickly: Dallas is not very rich. But many of its residents are.
According to the first link, the city may lose one of its methods of getting more cops on the street. I blame the person in the second link.
Police chase ends in crash near Lovers Lane and Abrams Road
A police chase Tuesday ended in a crash near Lovers Lane and Abrams Road. The University Park Police Department chased a stolen Lincoln Continental, beginning in the 3500 block of Lovers. Dallas Police got involved, bringing dogs and helicopters into the chase. But the thief, who was described only as a white male with no shirt, wrecked the car and got away on foot.
The chase happened around 5 p.m., snarling rush-hour traffic in the area.
Posted by Rachel Stone on May 27, 2009 at 11:44 AM in Crime, Traffic, Advocate Mag, Lakewood – E Dallas
Anyone know where the original carjacking (in item #2) happened????
@Wes, no offense taken at all
@amandacobra, i didn’t plan on inquiring specifics on said criminal or incident to give FB the exclusive- i just wanted to know if the 4 month old baby i was carrying in my sling as i approached and i should be concerned for our safety given the hunt going on. i was scared to even walk the 50 yards to talk to them for the fear of being taken hostage. i totally agree that the officer should not divulge sensitive information.
serious, what’s up with car jackings!??
yeah! comments
a.k.a the real reason i’ve bookmarked this blog…
tom, great second link
m2thej, i’m always concerned for my safety and take any and all appropriate measures to insure it 24/7, including never never never talking to the cops ever ever ever
if my home is on fire and the police are shooting at the suspected arsonist as i pull onto my street, i’ll just keep right on going to the bar a
damn fingers of fury
..nd ask questions later
I’ve often been described only as a white male with no shirt. But it wasn’t me, swear.
Okay, you kids have had your fun. Actually, some solid contributions here. Thanks for the restraint (mostly).
We’re still working on a system that will allow better moderation of comments. We hope to have it in place soon.
Bethany: Wick was ringing Tim’s cell while I was in his office. Tim — smartly, I think — decided not to answer.