16-Year-Old Boy Killed by Mesquite Officer After Chase, Police Report

U.S — On Friday, police released a video update featuring dashcam and body camera evidence confirming that the driver slain by a Mesquite officer last week after a brief car chase was a 16-year-old boy. However, records from the Dallas County medical examiner’s office, which include a police case number related to the incident, confirm that Pablo Cato Garcia was killed on that night, despite the recorded message from police spokesman Aaron Paredes saying that the department would not be disclosing the teen’s identity.

At 8:45 p.m. on August 11, an officer patrolling the area near West Scyene Road and Gross Road attempted to pull over the driver of a silver Honda Pilot that was headed west. When the Honda refused to pull over, the police officer gave chase.

The pursuit, captured on dashcam video, continued for almost three minutes. About a mile and a half after the chase began, the Honda was found stopped in a yard in the 1700 block of Carnation Drive, after having driven on the shoulder to pass other cars and having hit at least two vehicles and one traffic sign. The driver got out of the car, as seen on dash and body cam footage.

The cop jumped out of the car and called for everyone to “Get on the ground” and “Stop.” As the Honda’s driver opened the passenger side rear door, the officer yelled, “Stop” and eventually, “I’m going to shoot you.”Less than 10 seconds after exiting the vehicle, the video shows the officer firing his handgun at least five times as the driver reaches his right arm into the backseat. The driver then collapses to the ground. When asked how many times the driver was struck, Paredes gave no details. The police report that the teen was taken to the hospital where he later passed away after receiving first aid from other responding cops.

Authorities reported finding a Taurus pistol loaded with three bullets in the vehicle. The police photo shows the gun on the floor of the driver’s seat, between the gas and brake pedals. According to Paredes, the cop saw what he thought was a gun in the driver’s hand. In its report to the Texas attorney general’s office, the department states that the adolescent “did not carry, exhibit, or use a deadly weapon.”