- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Dallas and help keep the future of Dallas Observer free.
Dallas police issued an arrest warrant for Dallas City Council member Kevin Felder late Monday morning, almost two weeks after the council member allegedly hit an 18-year-old scooter rider in South Dallas.
District Judge Tammy Kemp's office confirmed to the Observer that the judge signed the warrant but couldn't provide further details until DPD officers returned it, which they had not done as of Monday afternoon. According to WFAA, which broke news of the warrant, Felder is wanted for leaving the scene of accident.
Felder's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday, but did tweet his frustration with the police department failing to give him a heads-up about seeking a warrant for his client.
It’s so nice that some media outlets think (or evidently know) that an arrest warrant has been issued for my client Councilman @felderk. Waiting to confirm that information myself. No comment until I get more info, as, if true, a heads up from @DallasPD would have been nice!
— Lawyer Pete Schulte (@AttyPeteSchulte) February 25, 2019
Schulte has previously denied Felder hit anyone.
Felder left City Hall Monday without commenting to a pack of TV cameramen and reporters who'd staked out the building's garage. At one point, he brushed away a microphone, causing a cameraman from KXAS to fall over.
Dallas news photographer is filing an assault report with DPD after he says Councilman Kevin Felder shoved him to the ground. He was not responding to reporters questions about if a warrant was filed for his arrest for leaving the scene with injury, teen was on a scooter pic.twitter.com/FoZUGhdiVf
— Lori Brown (@LoriBrownFox4) February 25, 2019
Contrary to the above tweet, the cameraman is not going to file assault charges against Felder. He spoke with police, KXAS news director John Stone told the Observer, and elected not to press charges.
#Update: I’ve spoken to the news director at @NBCDFW and the cameraman is not asking for an assault charge to be brought against CM @felderk. If the cameraman was injured, I do hope he recovers soon!
— Lawyer Pete Schulte (@AttyPeteSchulte) February 25, 2019
Felder, who first won election to the council in 2017, is facing eight opponents in his bid for re-election, among them Tiffinni Young, the incumbent he defeated two years ago.
Keep the Dallas Observer Free... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Dallas with no paywalls.
