Man Indicted on Federal Gun Charge After Dallas ISD Officer Shot During Struggle
DALLAS - A 27-year-old Mexican national accused of shooting a Dallas ISD police officer with the officer's own gun has been indicted on a federal firearms charge, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas.
A federal grand jury indicted Jose Santiago Pantoja-Morales on Sept. 16 on one count of possession of a firearm by an alien unlawfully in the United States.
The charge stems from an Aug. 6 encounter that began after Pantoja-Morales got out of a co-worker's vehicle and entered the center median of Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway, according to a federal criminal complaint.
The co-worker flagged down a uniformed Dallas Independent School District police officer who was conducting routine patrols in the area. The officer offered Pantoja-Morales a ride to a nearby safe location.
During the ride, prosecutors allege Pantoja-Morales began going through the officer's bag in the back seat. The officer stopped the vehicle and attempted to remove him, leading to a physical struggle.
During that struggle, Pantoja-Morales grabbed the officer's firearm and fired one round, striking the officer in the femoral artery of his right leg, according to the complaint.
The wounded officer managed to regain control of his firearm. Pantoja-Morales then fled but was apprehended a short time later, prosecutors said.
Another Dallas ISD police officer provided medical treatment at the scene before the wounded officer was transported to Parkland Hospital for additional treatment.
The federal criminal complaint was filed Aug. 13, and a grand jury returned the indictment Sept. 16. Prosecutors said Pantoja-Morales was awaiting transfer to federal custody under a writ of habeas corpus.
If convicted of the federal firearms charge, he faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison. An indictment is an accusation, and Pantoja-Morales is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Dallas Field Office and Dallas Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadin-Sarah Salkic is prosecuting it.
