Dallas police have once again met tragedy when an off-duty cop working security at a northeast Dallas Home Depot called for backup to effect an arrest of a shoplifter apprehended in the store. A loss prevention officer and the off-duty cop were handling the theft and, per protocol, requested a marked unit respond to assume the arrest and transport to county jail.
According to Dallas police Chief U. Reneé Hall, once two back-up officers arrived on scene, shots rang out; both were struck and remain in critical condition. A third party, believed to be the loss prevention officer (civilian position employed by The Home Depot), is also in critical condition at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.
The suspected gunman who Chief Hall labeled “a person of interest” during a live press conference, was also believed to be armed with a firearm and hiding in nearby woods as police combed the area. The alleged shooter was identified as Armando Luis Juarez, 29. To know his identity so quickly means the post-apprehension interview inside Home Depot entailed either verbally attaining his name and DOB or his physical ID depicting those details.
There is always the possibility that a police officer knows “frequent flyers” or “repeat offenders” and can render ID on sight. It doesn’t take long for a street cop to become adept at such instantaneous recognitions. Bolstering the swiftly-known-suspect factor is the rather immediate appearance of Juarez’s booking photo disseminated across national news affiliates as well as social media sites. Law enforcement confirmed Juarez’s booking photo is from January 2018, stemming from an “unlawful use of a vehicle” charge. To a policeman, that is one way of saying Grand Theft Auto, an automatic felony. Although it is unconfirmed, if he was convicted of that charge…that makes Juarez a felon in possession of a firearm.
Soon after the incident, Dallas SWAT and patrol division cops blanketed the immediate area as well as spanned the outskirts in the event Juarez breached the police perimeter.
Similarly, police administration refrained from releasing the injured police officers’ names pending notification of their kin. A customary practice, despite the media pressing for those sensitive details.
As the investigation unfolded and the dragnet dredged the Dallas woods, elected officials posted their condolences and well-wishes for no further tragedy. The manhunt continued.
Our thoughts and prayers are with @DallasPD and the two officers shot and critically wounded. Texas honors all the men and women who protect and serve our communities, and justice will be served. https://t.co/gkUnxciFOs
— Gov. Greg Abbott (@GovAbbott) April 24, 2018
Since Chief Hall is new in the Dallas top-cop post, she and Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings have tag-teamed the press conferences and media releases. The initial Dallas police dispatch listed the call as an “officer assist” which is consistent with earlier live press conferences provided by Dallas police executives.
Several witnesses claim they were inside while others state they were outside in the parking lot when they heard “about four shots” and then the fire alarms “because the guy ran out the door.” That last part implies a secured door (Fire Exit Only) not ordinarily used for patron foot traffic. That aligns with why Dallas cops on-scene spread out behind the Home Depot where it is somewhat obscure, woodsy, and the suspect’s last known direction of travel.
We are closely monitoring the situation in northeast Dallas and praying for our officers and their families. @DallasPD
— Mike Rawlings (@Mike_Rawlings) April 24, 2018
Incidentally, police officers do not ordinarily work at Home Depot outlets across the country. Like any business chain whose stores may be in an area where “shrink” (exceeding inventory loss) exists and is believed attributable to shoplifting activity, a contract with that jurisdiction’s police force will engender hiring officers who are off-duty to work security at a particular store location.
I’ve done that when I was in police service, sometimes supplementing loss prevention while other times flying solo in police uniform. It is likely that the off-duty Dallas cop was in police uniform. It is also probable that a fully-marked Dallas police cruiser was parked in a conspicuous location (near the Home Depot front doors) so as to be obvious/seen by would-be thieves. Other than those too numb to notice or bluntly too arrogant, visible props for deterrence have values.
Although the Dallas Police Department does not have a take-home car program in place, the agency may permit its officers to sign-out a car from the fleet so as to allow a police cruiser during off-duty tours/work.
Mayor Rawlings coined “two-front battle” to describe Dallas warriors fighting for their lives while other police officers on scene at the Home Depot maintain “the battle out in the community” reflecting on an at large armed/dangerous “person of interest.” As this material was being published, the tides turned and favored Dallas cops. A sighting and a police chase ensued winding down to the end of one chapter of this investigation.
What Dallas police officials have been labeling as a “person of interest” culminated in a full-blown police pursuit involving an enormous number of police cruisers as the suspect vehicle (believed to be the Home Depot shooter) erred in driving down a Dead End street. For him, the beginning of the end is illuminated in red/blue…and the justice bells toll.
