Arlington police arrest suspect on murder charge in fatal July 2 hit-and-run crash
Arlington police have made an arrest in the hit-and-run that killed a 39-year-old man on July 2, according to a Friday news release.
Police arrested Charlton Harris, 42, suspected of being the driver who struck Douglas Osiemo’s car, causing his death. Harris faces charges of murder, accident involving death and public intoxication.
Police accused Harris of fleeing a traffic stop by Pantego police shortly before the fatal crash. They said Harris was going about 100 mph on Arkansas Lane and ran several red lights before crashing into Osiemo’s sedan while traveling through the intersection of Arkansas Lane and South Cooper Street.
Osiemo was pronounced dead at the scene.
Harris was identified and located by Arlington police and the North Texas Fugitive Task Force after investigators reviewed evidence found in his vehicle, surveillance video footage and anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers, police said in the news release.
Harris was arrested overnight Thursday at a motel in Grand Prairie, according to police.
Harris got out of his Buick LaCrosse and ran away after hitting Osiemo’s vehicle, police said.
Harris was not the registered owner of the vehicle, but papers with Harris’ name obtained from the vehicle through a search warrant revealed he bought the car on March 29, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. The search also turned up a work ID with a photo of Harris, as well as a work-related certificate.
Police used surveillance video from businesses near the intersection along with dashcam footage from the Pantego officer’s vehicle, and noted there was one person in the car at the time of the crash, according to the affidavit. A phone store at the intersection recorded video “that shows the violence of the crash,” followed by footage of the driver getting out and running from the scene toward the phone store parking lot, the affidavit says.
Police tracked Harris’ route away from the scene using other surveillance footage from nearby businesses, according to the affidavit. Detectives said they determined the man in the video was the same as the driver of the vehicle based on the continuity of the video and the state he was in, stumbling and visibly exhausted, possibly injured.
One video showed a clear image of the man’s face, according to the affidavit. Suspicion of being the driver of the vehicle landed solidly on Harris after the name on the paperwork, the photo on the work ID and the videos were reviewed.
Police originally believed Harris had a passenger in the vehicle who also fled the scene but found, after reviewing video of the incident, he was the only person in the vehicle, according to the news release and affidavit.
Family and friends of Osiemo are trying to raise money for his children, according to a GoFundMe page. As of 11:30 a.m. Friday, the fundraiser had received about $2,200 in donations toward its $10,000 goal.
“Douglas was the sole breadwinner for his family and leaves behind a wife and three children aged 1, 3 and 9,” the GoFundMe page says. “He was the kindest, helpful, soft-spoken and gentle soul you will ever meet. Douglas was also very hardworking and did everything in his power to support and care for his family. His death has robbed this young family their only pillar and source of income. As a community, we can help make their burden and grief lighter by making a financial contribution.”
Funeral arrangements are underway, according to the website.
“We are grateful for the community participation and tips that came in,” Arlington Chief of Police Al Jones said in the news release. “Often times, we need the public’s help to solve these types of cases and that is exactly what happened in this instance.”
This story was originally published July 16, 2021 at 11:20 AM.