Seagoville Flashback
Nearly 11 months ago this week, a routine traffic stop on Seagoville Road turned into a fight for a Seagoville officer’s life. We look back at the case that shook our community.
It was just after 7 p.m. on Sunday, July 27, 2025, when a Seagoville police officer tried to pull over a Chevrolet pickup on Seagoville Road. The truck had been reported stolen. Within minutes, that stop would turn into one of the most dangerous nights of Sgt. Ethan Sinclair’s career, and a story that would dominate North Texas news for days.
A chase that went the wrong way, literally
According to the Seagoville Police Department, the driver, later identified as 36 year old Brandon Roy Boothe, fled when the officer attempted the stop. The pursuit ran from Seagoville Road onto IH 20, where Boothe entered the highway traveling the wrong way. The first officer broke off the chase for safety reasons, according to CBS Texas.
A second officer picked up the pursuit on the IH 20 service road near Beltline Road in southeast Dallas. Boothe tried to escape again, driving the stolen truck across a grassy area before colliding with another vehicle at low speed near the Beltline Road intersection, Seagoville PD said.
From foot chase to a fight for the patrol car
Boothe abandoned the truck and ran, with an officer chasing him on foot. Police said an attempt to use a Taser on Boothe failed. Then, in a moment that stunned investigators, Boothe doubled back and climbed into the officer’s own patrol vehicle, apparently trying to drive away in it.
Sgt. Sinclair, an eight year veteran of the department, later described the moment to NBC 5 Dallas Fort Worth. “Then he ends up doubling back, I see him grab the squad car door, and my mind just goes racing, and so the first thing I do is jump on top of him,” Sinclair told the station.
What followed was a violent, prolonged struggle inside the vehicle. Boothe briefly gained control of the patrol car and drove it forward into the stolen pickup, then put it in reverse and accelerated while Sinclair was still partly outside the vehicle, dragging him across the pavement, according to the Seagoville Police Department’s account.
Sinclair told NBC 5 that the fight felt far longer than its actual length. “They do three minute drills in the academy, and let me tell you, that’s a controlled environment. Out there, where it’s not a controlled environment, that felt like it was an hour,” he said.
The struggle stretched on for more than two minutes before a second Seagoville officer arrived and deployed a Taser, finally subduing Boothe, CBS Texas and FOX 4 both reported.
A career criminal, and an officer who walked away
Sinclair suffered a busted lip along with minor facial injuries and an injured ankle from being dragged outside the vehicle, according to NBC 5. He was treated at the scene and, by his own account to reporters, was far more focused on the outcome than his own injuries. “My adrenaline was so high, I couldn’t feel anything. I was just, I knew I had to get this guy out of that car,” he told NBC 5.
Boothe was taken to a hospital, medically cleared, and booked into the Dallas County jail. He faced multiple felony charges, including robbery, aggravated assault against a public servant, unauthorized use of a vehicle, evading arrest or detention with a vehicle, and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, after two handguns and ammunition were found inside the stolen pickup, Seagoville PD said.
Police described Boothe as a documented street gang member with an extensive criminal history dating back to 2006, and said he had an active warrant for a parole violation through the Texas Department of Corrections at the time of the incident. He had reportedly been out on parole since December of the previous year.
Seagoville Police Chief Ray Calverley did not hold back when speaking with CBS Texas after the arrest. “The actions of Sgt. Sinclair were exemplary,” Calverley said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome. My outlook on Mr. Boothe is he’ll have his day in court.”
Calverley also raised pointed questions about the system that allowed Boothe back onto the streets. “I don’t understand why a person like this has ever left incarceration,” he told CBS Texas. “I ask those that are responsible for doing and prosecuting these offenses, where their heads are at.”
Looking back, one year later
A year on, the night remains one of the most harrowing on record for the Seagoville Police Department, and a reminder of the split second decisions our local officers face. Sgt. Sinclair’s composure under pressure, by every account from that night, kept a dangerous situation from becoming far worse.
This Seagoville Flashback is based on reporting from CBS Texas, NBC 5 Dallas Fort Worth, and FOX 4 Dallas Fort Worth from July 2025. Court proceedings in this case may be ongoing, and readers should consult the Dallas County District Clerk’s office for the most current case status.
