FORT WORTH, Texas – At approximately 7:42 a.m. on Friday, February 9, 2024, Fort Worth Police officers were dispatched to a disturbance at a motel near the intersection of Riverside Drive and East Lancaster Avenue just south of I-30.
A caller stated that a man was acting erratically while attempting to steal his van, then the call ended. Minutes later, the caller again dialed 911 to report that a struggle ensued and that the caller was now in the back of the van that had just been stolen by the suspect.
The suspect drove down several streets before entering I-30 and headed eastbound. The caller was giving a Fort Worth Police 911 call taker updates on their location as they traveled through the cities of Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie and Dallas, whose law enforcement members supported FWPD greatly in this investigation.
While traveling through Fort Worth, several community members called in to report a white van swerving in and out of traffic while driving at a high rate of speed. Callers also stated they could see a man through the back window yelling for help trying to get their attention.
At one point, a caller stated that the back door had swung open while the suspect continued to drive dangerously.
The Fort Worth Police Real Time Crime Center located the van and its license plate and utilized the tools they have to direct responding officers to the suspect’s location in the 3900 block of Linfield Rd. in Dallas.
At around 8:51 a.m., Dallas Police located the van and two minutes later notified Fort Worth Police that the 29-year-old male suspect was taken into custody.
The kidnapped person was safely transported back to Major Case Detectives in Fort Worth.
The Fort Worth Police Department would like to thank the citizens who called 911 to report seeing the kidnapped person yelling for help. It is an important to remember, “if you see something, say something.”
The department would also like thank the members of the Grand Prairie, Arlington and Dallas Police Departments, and DPS air support who assisted in the investigation.
