‘Incredibly relieved’: Suspect arrested in hit-and-run that killed Arlington police officer

Nicole Lopez
·2 min read
19

A 26-year-old suspect has been arrested in a hit-and-run crash that killed Arlington police Officer Darrin McMichael in September, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Thursday.

The sheriff’s office Vehicle Crimes Unit obtained an arrest warrant Wednesday for Joshua Quintairo Watson, of Jackson, Mississippi.

Watson was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Task Force and is charged with accident involving death, a second-degree felony.

McMichael was driving his motorcycle to work on the morning of Sept. 21 when he was hit and run over by a car on Interstate 20 westbound near the Saint Augustine exit, according to Arlington police.

A little after 6 a.m. that day, a sport utility vehicle in the far left-hand lane reduced speed due to slow traffic ahead. McMichael’s motorcycle hit the SUV and he fell onto the left-hand shoulder of the road.

A dark-colored sedan ran over McMichael as he lay on the shoulder of the freeway and the car kept going, according to investigators. McMichael was transported to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries, Arlington police said.

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McMichael worked with the Arlington Police Department for 24 years and with the motorcycle unit for 13 years. He’d also worked as a patrol officer and a detective in Arlington’s north patrol district.

“The death of Officer Darrin McMichael has left a permanent hole in the collective heart of our Arlington PD family,” said Arlington police in a news release Thursday. “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.”

“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. 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,” police said in the release.