The Dallas Police Department’s crackdown on illegal street racing in Dallas reached a milestone this week when a grand jury indicted a Dallas man for 15 felonies from a single drag race.
Charles Spead, 29, faces seven counts of racing on a highway, causing bodily injury, seven counts of an accident involving an injury, and one charge of drug possession.
Spead was the driver of a 2019 Ford Fusion that got into a drag race with the driver of a black, four door sedan on Overton Road Jan 8, 2022, according to Dallas Police.
As the two cars raced west, they overran an Infinity SUV that was also going west but making a left turn onto Frio. The unknown driver passed the SUV on the right, Spead tried to pass on the left, but struck the vehicle, according to police. The accident left seven members of one family seriously injured. Two adults, three teenagers, a nine-year-old, and a six-year-old were all sent to the hospital. All survived. Spead fled, police say.
“This was on a residential street at 7:45 in the evening. The speed limit is 30 miles an hour,” said Sgt James Rose, Dallas Police Vehicle Crimes unit. “Obviously there’s vehicles involved. There’s other people and kids in a neighborhood. It just goes to show the seriousness of what the consequences could be. The law backs that up with these being felony offenses.”
Spead faces two charges for each victim. The charge of racing on a highway carries a possible prison term of 20 years for each offense. Leaving the scene of an accident carries a potential 10-year charge.
The crackdown on illegal street racing has been one of the top priorities of Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia, who has made no secret of his anger at illegal racers. Guns and drugs are among the items confiscated by the Vehicle Crime unit of the Dallas police department.
The rage of the public boiled over in December when a 73-year-old woman who was walking her dog was struck and killed by a racer in east Dallas. Brayan Ontiverosmontoya, 19, is still awaiting trial on charges of failure to stop and render aid in an accident involving a death and racing causing serious bodily injury involving a death.
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