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Man arrested for hit-and-run crash that killed Arlington police officer

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Published  February 8, 2024 1:52pm CST
Arlington
FOX 4

Arrest made in Arlington officer's death

A 26-year-old Mississippi man has been arrested for a crash back in September 2023 that resulted in the death of an Arlington police officer.

ARLINGTON, Texas - A 26-year-old Mississippi man has been arrested for a crash back in September 2023 that resulted in the death of an Arlington police officer.

Quintairo Watson has been charged with accident involving death in connection with the wreck that killed Darrin McMichael.

McMichael, a 24-year veteran of the Arlington Police Department, was heading to work on his police motorcycle along I-20 in Dallas County just before 6 a.m. on September 21.

Investigators believe traffic slowed down for some reason and the officer bumped the car in front of him. He then fell off his motorcycle and was driven over by an SUV.

McMichael’s wife was following him in a separate vehicle and witnessed it all.

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Arlington police officer killed in hit-and-run crash while on his way to work
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Arlington police officer killed in hit-and-run crash while on his way to work

Arlington Officer Darrin McMichael was killed in an early morning accident on I-20 in Southeast Dallas while he was on his way to work. Police are now searching for an SUV that left the scene after running over the officer.

Authorities believe Watson was behind the wheel of that SUV, which fled the scene after McMichael was struck.

The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office and Arlington PD worked together on the investigation to find the driver who left the scene.

Following tips and leads, they identified Watson, who is from Jackson, Mississippi, as that driver.

Once the arrest warrant was issued for Watson, he was arrested Wednesday in Mississippi by members of the U.S. Marshals Task Force.

Limited court records obtained by FOX 4 provide some sense of the work detectives went through to try and track the suspect down months after McMichael was fatally struck.

"It was a never-ending thing for the investigators, this was never going to be a cold case for them," Dallas County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Doug Sisk said. "There’s an arrest made due to the diligence and the tenacity of the detectives to bring a close to the end of this case."

Suspect arrested for Arlington officer's death

A Mississippi man is charged for the hit-and-run crash that killed Arlington police officer Darrin McMichael last year. Court documents say a cellphone tower near the crash site helped investigators determine that 26-year-old Joshua Watson was involved.

Court officials released part of the arrest warrant affidavit for Watson, which reveals detectives got ahold of cell tower data near the crash site.

Among the numbers was one a Mississippi man provided to his parole officer, but he "…was unable to leave Mississippi as a condition of his parole."

The limited court documents do not say how, but say that man provided information that helped deputies determine Watson was involved in the fatal crash.

"You always want closure, but when it involves a police officer or firefighter, it’s always a close knit community with the family," Sisk added.

It is not clear if there might be any other arrests in the case.

Watson is being held on a $100,000 bond.

The Arlington Police Department released the following statement after Watson's arrest:

 

  • The death of Officer Darrin McMichael has left a permanent hole in the collective heart of our Arlington PD family. But today’s news lifts a tremendous weight off of the entire department. We’re incredibly relieved that a suspect has been identified, arrested, and charged in connection to his death. 

  • We never stopped believing this case would be solved – and we’re eternally grateful for the investigative team who did not give up, even when it looked like the odds were stacked against them. We’d like to thank the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office for their partnership. We’d also like to recognize the efforts of the APD investigators who assisted DSO with this case. 

  • Finally, we want express our heartfelt appreciation to everyone who has supported us throughout this difficult time. Your love, your prayers, and your kindness have meant the world to us and continue to uplift us as we work to serve and protect our community.