Driver pleads guilty to evading arrest resulting in death of Grand Prairie police officer
A 23-year-old man was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to evading arrest in a car chase that resulted in the death of a Grand Prairie police officer, the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.
Colbie Hoffman was facing a maximum of 20 years in prison if he went to trial on the charge of evading arrest or detention resulting in death.
He was sentenced with an affirmative finding of a deadly weapon, according to a news release from the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office.
Hoffman received the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for tampering with physical evidence. His prison sentences on the two charges will be served concurrently.
At around 10:40 p.m. on Nov. 14, Grand Prairie police Officer Brandon Tsai was on patrol and saw a silver Chevrolet Malibu driving with a fake temporary paper license.
Tsai turned on his patrol lights and tried to stop the Malibu. Hoffman, who was driving the Malibu, proceeded to accelerate and drive away.
Tsai chased the car with the assistance of other Grand Prairie police officers for about six minutes. Hoffman evaded arrest at high speeds on both the highway and through residential areas.
Tsai crashed his patrol car during the chase and died from the injuries he sustained.
The Malibu fled the scene.
Officers “worked around the clock” to identify and locate the Malibu within two days after the officer’s death, the District Attorney’s Office said.
After find the car, investigators were able to identify Hoffman as a suspect.
Hoffman turned himself in to the Dallas Police Department and admitted to being the driver of the Malibu who evaded Tsai. He also admitted that he removed and destroyed the fake temporary paper license plate.
The case was prosecuted by the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office Vehicular Crimes Unit.
“The personnel assigned to the VCU have specialized knowledge and training regarding motor vehicle crash cases,” the office said in the release.
The VCU was created in 2022 and is tasked with handling the most serious and complicated fatality crash cases.
“This substantial sentence from a plea agreement was the result of a combination of the great work by both the Grand Prairie PD and Dallas County VCU,” the release said.
Grand Prairie Police Chief Daniel Scesney and many other officers filled the courtroom for Hoffman’s plea hearing.
The family of Tsai chose to watch the proceedings via the court’s live stream as they do not live locally and expressed gratitude to both the the Grand Prairie Police Department and the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office for their work and the resolution.
This story was originally published May 4, 2023 at 3:21 PM.
