UPDATE: March 20, 2014 @ 11:30am

Julius Maurice Sears
29yrs old

Dallas police vehicle crimes detectives announce that they have identified and arrested the driver of the vehicle involved in the fatal hit and run offense that killed  7yr old Maleny Valdez on Tuesday evening. 

Yesterday, Dallas police vehicle crimes detectives followed up on information and developed a tentative identification of the suspect.  Late yesterday afternoon they received a tip that this suspect would be at a Garland car lot in the 4100 block of Forest Lane.

Detectives located the suspect at the car lot and he agreed to be interviewed.  During the interview, the suspect, Julius Maurice Sears B/M 29, admitted to having been the driver of the black Chrysler 300 at the time of the fatal accident with 7yr old Melany Valdez in the 6900 block of Hemlock on Tuesday.  Detectives released the suspect at that time and worked on procuring a warrant for his arrest for the charge of Accident Involving Injury or Death.

Later that evening, Northeast patrol officers received information that the suspect was staying in a Garland motel and that he was planning on fleeing to New Orleans.  Dallas officers, with the assistance of Garland police went to the motel in the 3500 block of Kingsley Road in Garland where they located Sears and placed him under arrest for outstanding traffic warrants and the charge of “Accident Involving Injury or Death” a 2^nd degree felony.

Dallas police have begun an internal investigation to determine why the vehicle crimes detectives did not make the arrest of the suspect for the outstanding traffic warrants following the interview at the car lot. 

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Dallas Police are investigating a hit and run accident that occurred in the 6900 block of Helmlock Avenue, around 9:30pm, on March 18, 2014.

The victim is a seven year old girl who, according to witnesses, had been playing with a friend next to the roadway. The victim appears to have been crossing the street when she was struck by the suspect’s vehicle, which was traveling northbound.

The suspect left the scene of the accident without stopping or rendering aid to the victim.  Witnesses to the accident attended to the victim who was taken by a private citizen to Presbyterian Hospital. Shortly after their arrival at the hospital, the victim died.

Other witnesses to the accident followed the suspect’s vehicle to an apartment complex located on the 6000 block of Abrams Road.  There they pursued the suspect on foot but lost sight of him in the apartments and pointed out the suspect vehicle to the officers.  It was towed to the city pound.

The suspect is described as a Black, male, believed to be in his thirties. He is approximately 5’05” and has a thin build.

The Accident Investigators are currently following leads and working to identify the driver of the vehicle.  The Dallas Police Department is asking anyone who witnessed the accident or has information regarding it to call the detectives working this case at 214-670-5817.