Dallas tow truck driver charged with manslaughter after running over man during tow, police say

Published December 4, 2023 6:44pm CST

FOX 4 All Day: Dec. 4, 2023

Local news headlines and the weather forecast for December 4, 2023, including a shooting in Fort Worth that left three adults and a 1-year-old dead, a fatal apartment fire in Denton, college football playoffs controversy, and more.

DALLAS - A Dallas tow truck driver has been charged with manslaughter after he ran over a man.

Dallas police say 67-year-old James Smith was found lying in a parking lot off Shoreview Road in Lake Highlands just after 3 a.m. on Sunday. He later died at the hospital.

Investigators say Smith's vehicle was being towed from the parking lot when he jumped onto the driver's side of the vehicle.

He then fell from the truck and was run over.

25-year-old tow truck driver Roberto Padilla was found at the Dallas Auto Pound.

He was taken to the Dallas County Jail and charged with manslaughter.