On This Date (January 23) 1988-Police Officer John Glenn Chase
On this date (January 23) 1988 a father and mother lost a son, his brother lost a brother and Dallas lost a Police Officer.
Police Officer John Glenn Chase, Badge Number 5231, age 25, was shot and killed during a traffic stop near the intersection of Commerce Street and South Griffin Street at 8:24 a.m.
While on routine patrol Officer Chase observed a traffic violation at Commerce Street and South Lamar Street. The violator continued east on Commerce Street and Officer Chase stopped the vehicle near the intersection of Commerce Street and South Griffin Street in front of McDonald’s Restaurant.
There were a large group of people standing nearby at a bus stop. Officer Chase obtained the identification of the violator and returned to his vehicle to check for wanted. Shortly afterwards Officer Chase exited his vehicle and returned to the violator at which time a black male subject walked up to Officer Chase and began yelling and pushing him.
A scuffle began which continued across Commerce Street into a parking lot located between Commerce Street and Main Street, east of Griffin Street. Both Officer Chase and the suspect fell to the ground at which time the suspect was able to remove Officer Chase’s weapon and pointed it at his head. As Officer Chase begged for the suspect to drop the weapon the crowd yelled for him to shoot over and over.
The suspect fired three rounds directly at Officer Chase’s head, stood up with pistol in hand and began walking south across Commerce Street.
Corporal Clarence Durst was working off duty inside the McDonald’s and ran towards the gunfire as did Sergeant Thomas Ward who was working off duty at a nearby parking lot.
The suspect seeing the responding officers fired twice at Sergeant Ward at which time he and Corporal Durst fired striking the suspect.
The suspect was transported to Parkland Memorial Hospital where he died at 8:43 a.m. Officer Chase was pronounced dead at scene.
The suspect Carl Dudley Williams, age 34, had a lengthily arrest record, charged shortly before this offense with Aggravated Assault of a Police Officer, in which he threatened a Dallas Police Officer with a large, long nail.
The suspect’s family disclosed he had a history of mental illness and lived on the streets or in rescue missions.
Police Officer John Glenn Chase is interred at the Highland Memory Gardens Cemetery, Des Moines, Iowa in the Meditation Section.