Officials announced the arrest of a suspect Thursday in connection to the September 2023 car crash that killed Arlington police officer Darrin McMichael.
On Wednesday, detectives with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office obtained an arrest warrant for Joshua Quintairo Watson, a 26-year-old resident of Jackson, Mississippi. The U.S. Marshal’s Task Force arrested him and he was subsequently charged with accident involving death, a second-degree felony, according to a Thursday news release from the office.
Watson was charged under transportation code 550.021 which requires that anyone involved in an accident reasonably likely to result in injury or death must complete the steps required by law.
They must immediately stop their vehicle, return to the scene of the accident, determine if a person is involved in the collision, render aid if necessary, and remain at the scene until they comply with section 550.023. The Texas Transportation Code states the operator of an involved vehicle must give relevant information to authorities and provide “reasonable assistance” to anyone injured.
Douglas Sisk, Dallas Sheriff’s public information officer, said in an email that the biggest issue was the suspect failed to stop at all and never attempted to render aid as required under Texas law.
“The death of Officer Darrin McMichael has left a permanent hole in the collective heart of our Arlington PD family,” APD said in an Instagram statement. “But today’s news lifts a tremendous weight off of the entire department. We’re incredibly relieved that a suspect has been identified, arrested, and charged in connection to his death.”
McMichael was struck and killed in an accident around 6 a.m. Sept. 21, 2023 near Interstate 20 alongside St. Augustine Drive and Dowdy Ferry Road in Dallas, according to previous Shorthorn reporting. The arrest comes after APD offered monetary rewards for relevant information leading to an arrest and conviction.
McMichael, a 1995 UTA graduate, was a 24-year APD veteran and spent 13 years with the department’s motorcycle unit. Friends remembered him as a “gentle giant” who had a quiet side but quickly became everyone’s best friend.
“We never stopped believing this case would be solved – and we’re eternally grateful for the investigative team who did not give up, even when it looked like the odds were stacked against them,” APD said in the statement. “We’d like to thank the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office for their partnership. We’d also like to recognize the efforts of the APD investigators who assisted DSO with this case.”
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