Tuesday, May 9, Garland Police Department officers stopped a vehicle in the area of West Avenue D and South 13th Street for not displaying a registration sticker. Officers d identified the driver as 37-year-old Manuel Camacho of Garland.
The officer who conducted the stop discovered that Camacho had an outstanding parole violation warrant. After learning of the warrant, he sped off. At that time, the officers engaged in a very brief vehicle pursuit. Because the officers knew the suspect’s identity, and because of the unsafe conditions of the pursuit, the officers terminated the pursuit and stopped following the suspect.
Later, a different police officer saw the driver park his vehicle and exit it on foot. The driver was seen walking into a wooded area. GPD officers waited a short time to see if he returned to his vehicle before checking the wooded area. When he did not return to his vehicle, officers looked for Camacho and found him at the bottom of a steep embankment that led to a creek bed.
The responding officers deployed life-saving measures, but the male was deceased. Detectives are still investigating the cause of death.
This is an ongoing investigation.