Grand Prairie motorcycle officer fired gun at suspect during chase, police say

A suspect was injured Wednesday after a Grand Prairie officer fired a gun when, according to police, a driver crashed his car into the officer’s motorcycle.

The suspect, 25-year-old Jose Vega of Grand Prairie, was taken to a hospital to be treated for his injuries, which police said were not believed to be life-threatening. No officers were injured during the incident, according to police.

Mark Beseda, a spokesman for the Grand Prairie Police Department, said police do not know if the suspect was struck by gunfire.

“There are two theories. Either he was grazed by the bullet, or he was grazed by glass fragments from the bullet going through the windshield, we just don’t know yet,” Beseda said. “There is not a bullet lodged in his body, I can tell you that. There were some superficial wounds.”

Beseda said police are in the process of obtaining a search warrant for the car Vega was driving in. He said Vega is likely to be charged with evading arrest and aggravated assault on a police officer but said he could face additional charges following the investigation.

Beseda said the officer involved in the incident was wearing a body-worn camera. There are no cameras on the officer’s patrol motorcycle, Beseda said.

Around 3 p.m. Wednesday, a Grand Prairie motorcycle officer tried to stop a car for speeding near the 3000 block of Corn Valley Road, police said.

Police said the driver of the car, which was described as a Nissan, did not stop and led the officer on a chase. During the chase, police said, the driver of the vehicle tossed “contraband” out of his vehicle and ended up at a dead end near the 2800 block of Springdale Circle.

He ignored police commands to stop, and instead turned around and drove into the officer’s motorcycle, police said. Police said the officer got off of the motorcycle just before the car hit it and fired a single shot through the windshield.

The officer will be placed on routine administrative leave, per department policy, according to police, and the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office officer-involved shooting team is investigating. Grand Prairie police will also investigate.