Dumb Crimes Division

Two suspects hijack Lamborghini from valet at downtown Dallas hotel

Lamborghinis start at about $200,000.

Photo courtesy of Lamborghini

In the Not So Bright Crimes department, two men stole a Lamborghini from a hotel in downtown Dallas, before it caught on fire on an entrance ramp near the freeway.

The theft took place early in the morning of August 20 at about 7:50 am. Officers responded to a robbery call at the Omni Dallas hotel at 555 S. Lamar St. So these two suspects were up at 8 am on a Sunday looking for wheels. And chose one of the most high-profile hotels in the city to find some.

The suspects assaulted the valet, took the gray Lamborghini, and fled.

Dallas Police Department helicopter Air 1 spotted them at Kiest Boulevard and Polk Street. The chopper continued to track them, while requesting the assistance of the Dallas County sheriffs. No Dallas Police vehicles were involved.

With Air 1 hovering overhead, Dallas County sheriffs pursued the car on the ground, with a chase through Oak Cliff. The chase ended near the intersection of I-20 and I-45, with nearly a dozen cruisers converging when the vehicle caught fire and became disabled.

Two suspects Dez Montayevian Bell, 19, and William Caston, 18, were taken into custody, and are being held on $10,000 bond. Bell has at least one previous arrest for burglary of a building.

A spokesperson at the valet stand said that an attendant was assaulted but not injured.

The particular Lamborghini stolen was a Huracan, the "entry-level" model which starts at $203,295. Seems like that would be a hard thing to explain suddenly showing up in your driveway.

The car has a V-10 engine with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It's not hard to find videos of Lamborghinis erupting in flames, frequently due to improper use of the seven-speed single-clutch automatic.

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CORRECTION: This story originally and incorrectly stated that the valet was affiliated with Ace Parking.

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Weed News

Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Dallas over decriminalization of marijuana

Photo courtesy of US Fish & Wildlife

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The City of Dallas has been sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for its efforts to decriminalize marijuana.

According to a release, Paxton has sued the city for adopting a city charter amendment that would decriminalize marijuana-related offenses and prohibit police from enforcing Texas law.

That amendment was Proposition R, or Dallas Freedom Act, which decriminalizes possession of four ounces of marijuana or less. Voters passed the amendment in the November 5 election, with 67 percent voting in favor.

The lawsuit, filed against the Dallas City Council, alleges that Proposition R is unconstitutional and violates Texas drug laws criminalizing any amount of marijuana.

Paxton says that cities can't "pick and choose which state laws to follow." He's proposing a permanent injunction to stop Proposition R from going into effect.

"The City of Dallas has no authority to override Texas drug laws or prohibit the police from enforcing them," says Paxton in a statement. "This is a backdoor attempt to violate the Texas Constitution, and any city that tries to constrain police in this fashion will be met swiftly with a lawsuit by my office.”

Before the recent election, possession of two to four ounces of marijuana could result in a punishment of 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Ground Game Texas, the activist nonprofit that has also helped get marijuana decriminalization on the ballot in elections across Texas, first got the issue on the ballot in July with the necessary 50,000 signatures.

Dallas is not the only city to be sued; Paxton also filed lawsuits against five other cities in Austin, Denton, Elgin, Killeen, and San Marcos in January for their ballots and policies decriminalizing marijuana.

Both Austin and San Marcos had a judge overturn their cases, according to a FOX 4 report.

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