Dallas police say the passenger in a vehicle that hit and killed a teenager Friday morning on E. Ledbetter Drive near Marsalis Avenue will be charged with murder.
Police say the investigation determined the passenger in the car, 47-year-old James Grant, got into an argument with the driver as they drove south on Marsalis Avenue. Police say Grant assaulted the driver and the struggle continued as the car traveled east onto Ledbetter then went off the road hitting the teen who was walking in the grass.
The driver of the car remained at the scene and called 911. Police say Grant ran away and was later located. He was arrested for felony murder because he was in the act of committing a felony offense which caused the teen's death.
A Dallas ISD spokeswoman confirmed the teen was a Boude Storey Middle School student walking to school when the crash occurred a little before 8 a.m.
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Police said the teen was transported to a local hospital, where he died.
Relatives confirmed the victim is Jonathan Ayala who celebrated his fourteenth birthday last week.
Ayala's brother told NBC 5 that Ayala loved sports and looked forward to playing basketball at the high school level next year.
Instead, the family is now collecting donations for Ayala's funeral.
According to mapping software, the distance from the crash site to the school is approximately 1.8 miles or a 40-minute walk.
"This is a devastating and tragic day for Dallas ISD," Robyn Harris said. "Our most important concern is to very much wrap our arms around the Boude Storey community and to the student’s family.”
LOOP 12 IS THE DEADLIEST ROADWAY IN DALLAS
East Ledbetter Drive is part of Loop 12, the deadliest roadway for traffic crashes in Dallas, according to an analysis of TxDOT crash data by NBC 5 Investigates.
For months, the NBC 5 Investigates series “Driven to Death” has highlighted the dangers of Loop 12. Safety experts told NBC 5 Investigates that the roadway needs to be changed to slow high-speed traffic on the road, which transitions from a freeway into a city street. Our reporting has also documented a lack of safe places for pedestrians to cross, leaving many to seek refuge on narrow medians as they attempt to get to the other side of the street. Sections of the road also lack modern curbs to separate the sidewalks from the street.
It is unclear if any of those changes would have helped prevent Friday’s crash, as police said it was early in their investigation.
After NBC 5 Investigates exposed the high number of traffic deaths on Loop 12. State Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, called a community meeting in May to bring together the region’s top transportation officials. They have pledged to address the dangers swiftly.
On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council is expected to vote to lower the speed limit on sections of Loop 12, including portions of E. Ledbetter Drive.
A review of TxDOT crash data shows there have been 15 fatal crashes on Loop 12 in the first nine months of 2024, making it the deadliest in the city again this year. Six of the dead are pedestrians, including the student killed Friday.
On Sunday night, NBC 5 will air a special report on NBC 5 News at 10 p.m. detailing the efforts underway to address traffic dangers on Loop 12.
