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Suspect dies in DPD custody after alleged robbery, police say

Dallas Police vehicle rolls down a street Tuesday, July 11, 2023, in Dallas.
Yfat Yossifor
/
KERA
Dallas Police vehicle rolls down a street Tuesday, July 11, 2023, in Dallas.

This story has been updated with additional details from a 911 call and police body camera footage.

A person died in police custody after allegedly robbing another person, according to a statement from Dallas Police.

Authorities say the alleged robber, 41-year-old Jerrell Johnson, died while on the way to the hospital.

A 911 call audio released Thursday revealed officers responding to a call about an assault Sunday at about 3:55 p.m. in the 5600 block of Lemmon Avenue. A man can be heard saying Johnson had robbed one of the nearby stores and assaulted a woman.

Police body camera footage showed a man telling police Johnson had walked into one of the businesses, spit in his face and pushed him twice before leaving the building.

After leaving, Johnson reportedly walked inside the CVS next door, where witnesses said he confronted the employees and demanded money.

A witness also told police Johnson grabbed a female employee by the neck and demanded money before reportedly trying to strip her clothes off.

Police say the woman broke free and ran outside, where Johnson followed and continued to assault her in the parking lot before witnesses intervened and separated the woman from Johnson until officers arrived.

Officer body camera footage shows Johnson laying on his back, sweating and breathing heavily before officers order him to roll over.

An officer is then shown rolling Johnson over onto his stomach to handcuff him before telling him to sit up. Johnson did not respond when officers asked if he could talk and instead rolled over onto his back again.

After talking to witnesses, Johnson asked officers to help him sit up. An officer could be heard saying he was “very sweaty” and had blood on him before calling for an ambulance. Another officer continued to help him sit up until paramedics arrived.

The ambulance arrived after nearly 20 minutes, and he was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital. His cause of death had not been confirmed by the Dallas County Medical Examiner as of Monday.

At the hospital, detectives say they learned Johnson had been treated earlier that morning for symptoms of a drug overdose and “excited delirium” -- a controversial term used  to describe agitated, erratic or violent behavior. He was released from the hospital less than two hours before the incident occurred.

This is the second death in Dallas police custody this year.

The department said the investigation is ongoing and The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office is conducting its own investigation.

The Office of Community Police Oversight was also notified and responded.

Penelope Rivera is KERA's Breaking News Reporter. Got a tip? Email Penelope at privera@kera.org.

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Penelope Rivera is KERA's Breaking News Reporter. She graduated from the University of North Texas in May with a B.A. in Digital and Print Journalism.