LEWISVILLE, Texas - A man who police say repeatedly provided false information and threatened officers during the investigation of a reported shooting was arrested on multiple warrants and now faces additional felony charges.
At approximately 7:46 p.m. on Aug. 4, Lewisville police officers assigned to a two-man training unit responded to the Somerset Apartments in the 200 block of East Corporate Drive after receiving a report of a gunshot.
A witness told 911 dispatchers they heard a single gunshot and then saw two men and a woman attempting to leave the area in a red sedan. As officers searched for the vehicle, the witness alerted them that one of the men had exited the car nearby.
Officers contacted the man, later identified as 25-year-old Jatererrius Tyresse Rankin, and questioned him about the reported shooting.
According to police, Rankin became uncooperative and attempted to walk away after being told he was being detained as part of the investigation based on eyewitness accounts.
Investigators said Rankin repeatedly refused to identify himself, initially wrote down a false name and claimed his last name was "Junior." He later told officers he could retrieve his driver's license from his apartment and provide surveillance footage, claiming he worked at the apartment complex.
Officers allowed Rankin to return to his apartment to retrieve the identification and video. When he emerged with his mother several minutes later, police said she repeatedly urged him to tell the truth and cooperate with investigators.
After contacting his attorney, Rankin eventually provided his name and date of birth but intentionally misspelled his first name, according to police.
A records check revealed Rankin was wanted by the Killeen Police Department on a warrant charging possession of a controlled substance, Penalty Group 2, between four and 400 grams.
Officers arrested Rankin on the outstanding warrant.
During the arrest and transport, investigators said Rankin became verbally abusive and repeatedly threatened the officers and their families. Police said he made multiple obscene threats directed at one officer's wife and daughter and threatened another officer while seated in the patrol vehicle.
Based on those statements, Lewisville police charged Rankin with obstruction or retaliation, alleging he intentionally threatened officers' family members in retaliation for their duties as public servants.
He was also charged with failure to identify after investigators said he intentionally refused to provide his identifying information and repeatedly gave officers false information while lawfully detained.
Police later discovered Rankin also had four outstanding warrants from the Denton Police Department charging theft of property, assault causing bodily injury to a family member, assault of a family member by impeding breathing or circulation, and sexual assault of a child.
Authorities said those additional warrants were added on Aug. 6 as part of an ongoing investigation.
Rankin's total bond has been set at $112,500. He remains in custody at the Denton County Jail.
The investigation into the reported shooting at the apartment complex remains ongoing.
