DALLAS COUNTY, Texas — Editor's note: The video published above is a WFAA story from September 2023 at the officer's funeral.
A Mississippi man has been arrested and charged in connection to a hit-and-run crash on Interstate 20 last year where an Arlington officer was killed in eastern Dallas County, according to authorities.
Law enforcement arrested 26-year-old Joshua Quintairo Watson, of Jackson, Miss., on Feb. 7 and charged him with accident involving death, a second-degree felony. Watson's arrest is connected to an incident in late September 2023, where Darrin McMichael, a 24-year veteran of the Arlington Police Department, was struck and killed on I-20 on his way to work.
According to the Dallas County Sheriff's Office, McMichael was riding on a motorcycle in traffic on his way to work when he rear-ended a car in front of him. He then fell off his bike and was hit by another vehicle that fled the scene. McMichael’s wife, also an Arlington police officer, was headed to work behind him and reportedly witnessed the horrific crash.
According to an arrest affidavit, police used cell phone tower data in the area to ping a phone number that belonged to a man in Jackson, Miss., who was released on parole in June 2023 for a felony level offense from 2022.
Detectives went to Mississippi to interview the man on Feb. 6 since he has to report to his parole officer on the first Tuesday of every month; and the man told police he was in the car but was adamant that he was not driving, according to the affidavit. The man gave police "intimate details about the crash" and stated Watson was driving the vehicle at the time.
The man told police he and Watson were in a dark colored Jaguar, later identified to be a vehicle model Watson bought on Sept. 11, 2023, the affidavit said. The man told police there were firearms in the vehicle and therefore Watson did not want to stop, according to the affidavit.
Detectives found evidence of the Jaguar in and around the DFW from September to October 2023, and the man told police Watson sold the vehicle in October. Watson was arrested on Feb. 7 by the Dallas County Sheriff's Office Vehicle Crimes Unit.
Police from Oklahoma, Mississippi and Texas attended the funeral nearly one week after the crash.
"The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office would like to offer our heartfelt thanks to the public and media for helping get the word out about this horrific accident and keeping Officer McMichael’s family in your thoughts and prayers," the department said in a release.
The Arlington Police Department released the following statement on Thursday:
"The death of Officer Darrin McMichael has left a permanent hole in the collective heart of our Arlington PD family. 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.
Finally, we want express our heartfelt appreciation to everyone who has supported us throughout this difficult time. Your love, your prayers, and your kindness have meant the world to us and continue to uplift us as we work to serve and protect our community."
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