A federal grand jury has indicted a 27-year-old man accused of grabbing a Dallas Independent School District police officer’s gun and shooting him during a struggle on Aug. 6, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
Jose Santiago Pantoja-Morales, who prosecutors say is a Mexican national in the country illegally, was indicted on Sept. 16 on a charge of possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. He faces up to 15 years in federal prison if convicted.
According to a federal complaint, the incident began when Pantoja-Morales jumped out of a co-worker’s car and into the median of the Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway. The co-worker flagged down a uniformed DISD police officer who was on routine patrol nearby. The officer offered Pantoja-Morales a ride to a safe location.
During that ride, prosecutors say Pantoja-Morales began going through the officer’s bag in the back seat. The officer pulled the car over and attempted to remove him, but Pantoja-Morales allegedly resisted, and the two got into a physical struggle.
During the fight, prosecutors allege Pantoja-Morales grabbed the officer’s gun and fired it once, striking the officer in the femoral artery of his right leg. The officer managed to regain control of the weapon despite his injury. Pantoja-Morales fled but was quickly caught by law enforcement.
A second DISD officer treated the wounded officer at the scene before he was taken to Parkland Hospital for further care.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said in a news release that the case underscores the risks officers face on patrol.
“The illegal alien’s alleged actions in this case represent an attack on the rule of law and a direct threat to public safety,” Raybould said. “Every day, we ask the men and women who wear the badge to stand between good and evil. It is my duty — and the duty of this office — to do all we can to protect those who protect us. Violence against an officer will not be tolerated, and we will pursue this prosecution with the utmost rigor to ensure full accountability.”
Pantoja-Morales is awaiting transfer to federal custody under a writ of habeas corpus filed Wednesday. The case was investigated by the ATF’s Dallas Field Office and the Dallas Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadin-Sarah Salkic.
