Suspected drunken driver beats officer during traffic stop

Dash cam footage captured a suspected drunk driver beating an Arlington police officer after a traffic stop on July 14.

Officers pulled over Jericho Malone, 33, around 12:30 a.m. after noticing his car could not stay in its lane on Highway 360 near Abram Street. They received 911 calls about a drunk driver going north on the highway. Police said Malone took a field sobriety test, but failed it. When officers tried to arrest him, he began to fight and run.

“As you see him pull away from Officer Hinson, he punches Officer Hinson in the face twice, once with his right hand, once with his left hand,” said Arlington Police Lt. Chris Cook. “The impact was so enormous to Officer Hinson that it knocks him down to the ground. Officer Hinson is actually dazed for a moment."

After the officers subdued him, they tried to put him the back of the squad car in handcuffs. He kicked one of the officers in the chest twice.

“What’s really scary about this video is this is a freeway,” Cook said. “A lot of things could’ve gone wrong with this deal.”

The dash cam showed that an 18-wheeler stopped on the highway, holding back traffic on the highway ramp as the incident took place in the middle of the roadway.

Malone has been charged with four counts of assault of a public servant.