Note: Harper's bail amount has been updated from $500,000 to $650,000 in this report.
A 27-year-old driver described as high and incoherent at the scene of a deadly rampage last week appeared sober and remorseful several hours later, according to a search warrant affidavit.Thomas L. Harper of Arlington had evidence of marijuana in his system after the Dec. 14 incident, the affidavit says. Witnesses said he slammed his Chevrolet Tahoe into a line of traffic at a north Arlington intersection, killing a 42-year-old Arlington man, and fatally shot an 18-year-old who walked up to help.But it remains unclear what role, if any, the drug might have played in Harper's actions.Officers at the scene described Harper as mumbling and incoherent before he was taken to Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital. Witnesses said he appeared to be high, made erratic statements and told bystanders to "get away," according to the affidavit, which was filed in Arlington Municipal Court.Officers described Harper as having bloodshot eyes and "looking up at the sky and mumbling," according to the affidavit.They said Harper initially was not making sense but became more lucid before leaving the hospital and expressed remorse for his actions while sitting in jail, the affidavit says.The attending emergency room physician told a detective that Harper's toxicology tests indicated the presence of cannabinoids, according to the document.The officer requesting the search warrant wrote that this evidence led him to believe that Harper had committed intoxication manslaughter and that a warrant to obtain biological evidence from the hospital was justified.Results of the blood and urine tests have not been made public. Police have said that alcohol was not a factor in the fatal crash at North Collins Street and Brown Boulevard.On Monday, the Tarrant County district attorney's office accepted charges of murder, in connection with the shooting death of Clarence "C.J." Robinson; and manslaughter, in connection with the death of pickup driver Najee Nasir; and two charges of endangering a child. Harper's twin toddlers were in the Tahoe but were not injured.The manslaughter charge is different from intoxication manslaughter, in which someone causes the death of another "by reason of" intoxication.State law defines manslaughter as "recklessly" causing someone's death. Harper is accused of speeding on a street and slamming into the pickup, killing the driver.After the investigation, the appropriate charges will be submitted to a grand jury, said Melody McDonald, a spokeswoman for the district attorney. Manslaughter and intoxication manslaughter are second-degree felonies.Harper was booked into the Tarrant County Jail on Tuesday after being transferred from the Arlington City Jail. Bail is set at $650,000.He didn't speak to a group of reporters waiting for him beneath the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center. Someone shouted, "Are you sorry for what you did?" but Harper did not respond.Terry Grisham, a spokesman for the Tarrant County sheriff, said he had heard "nothing negative or positive" about Harper's behavior in the Arlington jail.Grisham said Harper would be booked and evaluated, including a mental-health evaluation.
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