Texas-side man arrested after allegedly driving recklessly, firing shots in neighborhood

Texarkana, Texas, Police Department's patrol cars are seen in December 2015.
Texarkana, Texas, Police Department's patrol cars are seen in December 2015.

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Frank Fellone

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A Texarkana, Texas, man was arrested on charges of deadly conduct and evading arrest with a vehicle.

Dakota Mangum, 23, allegedly drove recklessly through a neighborhood where children were playing, which led to a disturbance, said Shawn Vaughn, spokesman for Texarkana, Texas, Police Department.

Police were dispatched about 5:30 p.m. Thursday to a shots fired call near West 38th and Magnolia streets. Upon arrival, officers were flagged down by several people who pointed out an orange pickup parked in the street on West 38th and identified the driver as the person who had been shooting.

The vehicle sped away when the officers activated their emergency lights to make contact with the driver. After a short pursuit through the neighborhood, the pickup pulled into the driveway of a home in the 3700 block of Magnolia.

Mangum immediately got out of his vehicle, turned toward the officers and began to approach them, Vaughn said. He continued to approach despite their repeated verbal commands to stop, so an officer deployed his JPX Cobra pepper spray gun at Mangum, the spokesman said, and he was arrested without further incident.

Witnesses reportedly told officers that there had been a verbal disturbance because of Mangum's driving recklessly in the neighborhood. After his pickup nearly spun out of control near some children playing basketball in the 3800 block of Magnolia, the group began yelling at him to slow down, Vaughn said. Mangum allegedly stopped briefly to engage in a verbal altercation with the group before speeding away.

They said that the man returned a few minutes later and fired several shots from a pistol toward the group, Vaughn said. He reportedly left again and had just returned a second time when the officers arrived and gave chase.

No one was injured during the incident. Mangum is being held in the Bi-State Justice Building jail with a bond of $60,000.

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