Newly released dashcam video from a Fort Worth police SUV shows the final 90 seconds of a July 2023 pursuit that ended when a patrol vehicle slammed into an uninvolved driver, killing 57-year-old Andre Craig. The brief clip traces a blur of intersections, high speeds and a final impact at West Rosedale Street and Evans Avenue that left Craig dead at the scene. Its release has reignited questions about Fort Worth’s pursuit policy, internal discipline and a city settlement stemming from the crash.
The footage, taken from Officer Linuel Joel’s dashcam, shows a cruiser trailing a stolen Dodge Challenger through rush-hour traffic, rolling through multiple red lights with a police helicopter overhead, according to CBS News Texas. Department records cited in that report describe speeds climbing toward 100 mph on Evans Avenue before the patrol SUV struck Craig’s vehicle. The crash report states that Craig was pronounced dead at the scene.
How The Chase Started
According to Fort Worth Report, the chase began after a FLOCK license-plate reader flagged a stolen Dodge Challenger. Officers said they found the car parked at a house they had visited before, then ringed the neighborhood with spike strips to try to stop it. Security footage and witness accounts show the Challenger continuing to move even after its tires were punctured, drawing officers into busier stretches of south Fort Worth. Those scenes helped fuel public-records requests and legal fights over whether the department should release its complete pursuit policy.
Discipline, Settlement And Prosecutions
The City of Fort Worth approved a $250,000 settlement with Craig’s family last year, and disciplinary records show Officer Linuel Joel was suspended for 15 days for violating the department’s pursuit policy, according to KERA News. A Tarrant County grand jury declined to file criminal charges against the officer even as civil claims moved ahead. Other drivers hurt at the intersection have filed separate suits that the city has resolved through related settlements.
The driver officers were chasing, Brian Hunter, was arrested after the Challenger stopped and two people ran from the car. He later pleaded guilty to evading arrest causing death and is serving a three-year sentence, the CBS I-Team reports. Prosecutors tied that charge to the pursuit that ultimately led to Craig’s death. The plea closes out one criminal chapter but leaves the bigger policy debate still very much alive.
Policy Questions Linger
Fort Worth officials initially sued the Texas attorney general in an effort to keep parts of the vehicle pursuit policy secret, then later released a redacted version. Local reporting shows the tug-of-war over how much to disclose has dragged on. The department has updated its guidance, telling officers to balance the danger of a chase against the potential harm of letting a suspect get away, but critics argue that heavy black bars and thin public detail undercut any real accountability…