DPS: Trooper shoots DWI suspect after being dragged by SUV

GREENVILLE, Texas - A state trooper is recovering after being dragged down Interstate 30 by a suspected drunken driver.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the incident happened around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday as the trooper was trying to pull over the driver of a Chrysler SUV in Greenville.

When the trooper tried to arrest the man on suspicion of DWI, the driver ran and got back into his SUV, dragging the DPS trooper about 100 yards.

“The trooper was able to make the traffic stop, conduct the interview, determine there was probable cause for that driving while intoxicated arrest, attempt to place the individual in custody. But somehow he was attached to that vehicle and dragged,” said Lt. Lonny Haschel, a spokesman for DPS.

The trooper was able to get free and shoot the suspect, causing him to crash his SUV into the median. The suspect then got out of the SUV and jumped over the interstate to try to run away. The trooper chased him down to a nearby parking lot.

Both the trooper and the suspect suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

DPS said the trooper was treated and released from the hospital late Wednesday night and is now recuperating at home.

The suspect, 30-year-old Matthias B. Slaughter of Garland, was taken to jail after being released from the hospital. He was charged with DWI, evading arrest, resisting arrest & aggravated assault on a public servant.

The Texas Rangers are leading the investigation.