TEXARKANA, Texas - A 26-year-old man was arrested in Titus County after Texarkana police said an argument involving three women escalated into a street fight and ended with gunfire Tuesday afternoon, October 6th.
Benjamin James was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after Texas Department of Public Safety troopers located him traveling along Interstate 30, according to the Texarkana Texas Police Department.
The incident began when officers were dispatched to the 2200 block of West 17th Street following a report of people fighting in the street. Before officers arrived, dispatchers received another call reporting that someone had been shot.
Investigators determined that three women had been arguing before the confrontation became physical. The boyfriends of two of the women then became involved and began fighting each other, police said.
As one of the men and one of the women attempted to leave in a vehicle, James allegedly pulled out a gun and opened fire.
One person was struck in the chest. Police described the injury as minor.
The vehicle was struck by gunfire several times, and detectives recovered three shell casings from the scene.
The victim told investigators that James and two women left in a red vehicle and were believed to be heading toward Dallas.
Texarkana police notified the Texas Department of Public Safety, which identified a possible vehicle associated with James. Troopers located the vehicle a short time later traveling on I-30 in Titus County and conducted a traffic stop.
James was detained while Texarkana detectives obtained an arrest warrant. He was subsequently booked into the Titus County Jail on the aggravated assault charge.
Texarkana police said James is expected to be transported back to Texarkana in the coming days.
Police described the shooting as an example of how quickly a dispute can escalate into potentially deadly violence.
“This whole thing was stupid and completely unnecessary,” the department said in a statement. “What started with people fighting ended with someone pulling a gun and firing a bunch of shots at somebody else.”
