The Dallas skyline lit up in blue Wednesday night in honor of the 25-year-old officer who died following an overnight crash with a wrong-way driver.
Police Officer Jacob Arellano, 25, was on his way to work at the Dallas Police Department's Northwest Patrol Division late Tuesday when he collided with a wrong-way driver on Spur 408, near Kiest Boulevard. The impact forced Arellano's SUV into the path of a tractor-trailer, which sent Arellano's vehicle rolling several times.
Arellano was hospitalized with critical injuries but died Wednesday morning.
Tributes and showings of support from police agencies across North Texas were posted on social media pages throughout the day for Arellano's family and the Dallas Police Department.
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"We are all living our worst nightmare. Today we lost one of our own," Dallas Chief of Police Eddie Garcia said while fighting back tears at a news briefing outside of the hospital.
Before becoming a Dallas police officer, Arellano played football at New Mexico State University. The university's athletic department described him as "an outstanding young man."
Garcia said Arellano had been a member of the Dallas Police Department since June 2019 and was assigned to the Northwest Patrol Division's first watch.
"Officer Arellano has a beautiful family who will need our continuing support in the days ahead," Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson wrote in a tweet. "Our city mourns his tragic loss and stands with his loved ones and his @DallasPD colleagues."
The driver of the wrong-way vehicle may have been intoxicated, police say, and charges have not yet been filed. The driver was hospitalized in serious condition as of Wednesday afternoon.
