FORT WORTH, Texas — A man convicted of running over a Fort Worth police officer in 2020 was sentenced by a Tarrant County jury on Monday to life in prison.
Ronnie Jackson, 41, was found guilty of aggravated assault of a peace officer with a deadly weapon following June 13, 2020, when police say he ran over an officer throwing out spike strips as Jackson was running away from police in a stolen vehicle on Interstate 820.
Jackson fled the scene and hid in a nearby neighborhood after hitting the officer, police say. The officer had to undergo immediate surgery for extensive, life-threatening injuries from the incident.
"This person is a danger to everyone he comes in contact with," Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney D.J. Estes told the jury. "It is safer for everyone, including the defendant, if he is in prison."
Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney Lisa Callaghan, who helped Estes prosecute the case, said Jackson running over the officer was no accident.
"Someone was out joyriding and didn't give a damn who he hit," Callaghan told the jury. "What [witnesses] saw was an intentional mowing down of a police officer."
Arrest records show Jackson has an extensive criminal record dating back to 2011. Charges include aggravated robbery, burglary, criminal trespassing and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
