Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia spoke out Friday afternoon about this week's carjacking and shooting of an undercover officer.
He says the three teens under arrest are all from Louisiana, and were looking for someone to carjack Wednesday morning. He says 19-year old Redricous Lewis, 17-year-old Redtravion Polk and 18-year-old Xavier Cook traveled from Shreveport to Dallas just to commit crimes.
Chief Garcia says they thought Officer Nathanial Chapman would be an easy mark when they boxed in his unmarked squad car, jumped out and used guns to take the car. Chief Garcia says the two men each fired nine shots at Chapman, who was wounded but will recover.
He says the fact that the carjackers unwittingly targeted a cop probably saved someone else from being a victim.
"They were not going to stop. He put his life on the line to protect the residents of the city. Had it not been his car, there was someone else whose car was going to get carjacked that night. That is 100 percent fact."
Chief Garcia says the unmarked car had police radios inside, and the suspects dumped it a short distance away. The men were arrested in Shreveport and are now awaiting extradition.
ORIGINAL STORY PUBLISHED BELOW
A Dallas Police officer was shot in the line of duty Wednesday morning. Police say he was shot about 12:45 a.m. while working an undercover operation in North Dallas.
Chief Eddie Garcia says the officer was working undercover in an unmarked car near Harry Hines and Loop 12. He was assigned to the department's Crime Response Team and was working on a surveillance operation.
Garcia says another car pulled up behind the officer's car "basically pinning him in that area." He says two people got out of the car, and one person was carrying at least two guns.
"When our officer noticed these individuals approaching the car, the officer exited his vehicle," Garcia says. "Soon after that, an exchange of gunfire happened between our suspects and the officer. Our officer retreated for cover."
Garcia says the officer was shot in the leg. That officer was brought to Parkland but should recover.
Garcia says one of the others involved got into the officer's car and drove off. He says another person drove off in the other car.
"His covert vehicle was found abandoned a short distance away, and we're still searching for the original car that drove up behind our officer and, obviously, those violent suspects," Garcia says.
He says police believe at least three people were involved. Wednesday morning, they had not made any arrests.
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