On December 11, 2025, at approximately 7:40 a.m., Irving Police officers responded to a traffic hazard report in the area of W. John Carpenter Freeway (114) and Hidden Ridge Road, where a white female was reportedly walking in the lanes of traffic.
Two officers quickly located the individual on the eastbound right shoulder in the 500 block of W. John Carpenter Freeway. Officer Maria Herring, one of the responding officers, gave commands for the woman, later identified as 39-year-olf Leah Christine Elliff, to stop. Instead of complying, Elliff ran north into the main lanes of traffic, creating a serious hazard to herself and drivers.
Officer Herring pursued Elliff and deployed her taser after the woman refused to comply, successfully subduing her. During the arrest attempt, Elliff actively resisted, pulling her arms away and tensing her body. In the struggle, she bit Officer Herring on the left forearm, breaking the skin and causing a laceration that required medical attention at a hospital.
Elliff was eventually taken into custody and transported to the Irving Jail. She was charged with Assault on a Peace Officer and Resisting Arrest. She has a history of arrests dealing with DWI and drug abuse in Travis and Chambers County. She is from La Porte, TX.
Officer Herring has served with the Irving Police Department for three years and previously worked with the Brentwood Police Department in Tennessee for six years. The Irving Police Department emphasized the dangers posed by pedestrians in traffic and the challenges officers face when responding to incidents that threaten public safety.
