DALLAS — A cemetery near Southern Dallas’ Trinity Forest is a reminder to residents along Murdock Road that life is precious.
“Just like any family member would feel for a person. We felt that pain too,” said one resident who did not want to share her identity.
She said that pain was felt deeper Sunday morning at about 12:50 a.m.
“We heard like a car like speeding through and heard a loud crash,” said the resident.
Her daughters came out to help when they noticed a car hit a pole and heard a male screaming. Both daughters called 911.
“The car looked like it was split in half. The backseat was gone. It was just like in pieces,” said the resident.
“My kids were walking that way," the resident said. "They seen the lady in the street.”
Dallas police said they responded to a kidnapping/major accident on the 1300 block of Murdock Road after a suspect stole a car, sped off, losing control, and hit a pole. They said the woman inside that car died in the crash. She has not been identified by officials yet.
Police on Monday morning identified the suspect as 26-year-old Darion Thomas. Police said Thomas faces charges of murder and theft.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, the owner of the vehicle told police she and her husband parked the car outside of a gas station and went inside, as the victim staying laying in the backseat of the car.
Thomas then got inside the vehicle and drove away, a witness said, according to the affidavit.
About a mile away, Thomas crashed into a power pole "causing a catastrophic crash," the affidavit said, and ejecting the victim the car.
A witness told police that they heard the crash and went outside, where they saw Thomas trying to crawl away, according to the affidavit. Thomas reportedly told the witness that his legs were broke, and that he stole the vehicle because he needed a ride to work, the affidavit said. Thomas then asked the witness for a gun to kill himself, according to the affidavit.
Authorities responded and asked Thomas if he was driving, and he said, "Obviously I was driving," according to the affidavit. He was then taken to a hospital for treatment and then to Dallas police headquarters for an interview.
Thomas told police that he stole the vehicle and "increase speed and drove recklessly" when the victim started yelling at him, according to the affidavit. Thomas said he came around a curve at a high speed when he lost control of the car and struck the pole, the affidavit said.
Residents described how the incident unfolded outside the gas station.
“That we're aware of, she had two people in the store. They must have left the vehicle on. I have no idea how that happened, but the guy jumped in sped off probably not realizing there was someone in the back,” the resident told WFAA.
Residents in the area said they see crashes all the time, sometimes on their own properties and even in the nearby cemetery.
“More police, probably surveillance. But I don't even know if that'll help because it's usually in the middle of the night when this is happening,” said the resident.
The crash on Sunday morning was one the neighborhood will never forget.
“It’s hard being a mom because you know your kids are driving. We don't know what's going on. Maybe they could be driving good. Next car could be, you know, reckless,” said the resident.
It is another reality that residents hope no one else has to feel.
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