A Handcuffed Dallas Suspect Slipped His Cuffs, Climbed Into the Driver’s Seat, and Drove 50 MPH on I-35 With a Police Officer Trapped in the Back

On May 30, 2026, Stacey Huffman, 37, sat in the back of a Dallas Police cruiser on I-35, hands cuffed behind his back, facing charges for carrying drugs and an illegal firearm. He slipped his left hand free. When both officers stepped outside the vehicle to re-restrain him — simultaneously — Huffman climbed through to the front and drove off. Officer Kenneth Harper was still in the back seat. The Taser Harper deployed was ineffective: Huffman pulled the wires out. Harper struck Huffman with his firearm. Huffman opened the door and jumped at 50 mph. He is on a ventilator. Harper was treated and released. The Dallas Police Special Investigations Unit is examining how both officers left the vehicle at once.

• 50 mph— the speed Huffman reached driving Officer Harper's cruiser on I-35 with Harper in the back seat. Huffman drove approximately 1,000 feet before jumping from the moving vehicle.
• 5charges pending: Driving While License Invalid, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm (at arrest) + Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle and Escape from Custody (pending hospital release).
• 0— the number of seconds it took Huffman's Taser wires to neutralize: he pulled them out. Harper then struck Huffman with his service weapon. Standard department Tasers require a clear probe hit and continuous circuit; once wires are pulled, the weapon is inert.

Officers Ibrahim Kante and Kenneth Harper stopped Stacey Huffman, 37, at approximately 5:35 p.m. on May 30, 2026 in the 2300 block of South Marsalis Avenue in Dallas. Huffman was found with a controlled substance and an illegal firearm. He was cuffed, placed in the rear of the cruiser, and the officers began driving toward the jail.

Body-worn camera footage shows Huffman slipping his left hand out of the handcuffs, then concealing his hands behind his back. He removed his seatbelt and began attempting to open the rear door. Officers pulled over on I-35 near Illinois Avenue to re-restrain him. The critical error: both officers stepped outside the vehicle simultaneously, leaving Huffman unattended in a running cruiser. Huffman immediately climbed through to the driver’s seat.

Officer Kante was left on the road. Officer Harper managed to get back into the rear seat as Huffman drove. Harper deployed his Taser; Huffman pulled the probe wires out, neutralizing it. Harper drew his duty weapon and struck Huffman on the side of the head with the firearm. Huffman opened the driver’s door and jumped from the moving vehicle at approximately 50 mph near Beckley Avenue. Harper lunged forward, pushed the brake pedal by hand, grabbed the wheel, and brought the cruiser to a stop. He narrowly avoided colliding with another vehicle.

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Dallas PD turned the case over to the Special Investigations Unit. The Office of Community Police Oversight (OCPO) was notified per standard protocol for use-of-force incidents involving a service weapon strike. The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office was notified of the pending escape-from-custody charges. No disciplinary action has been publicly announced as of June 5, 2026.

The focus of the SIU investigation: the simultaneous exit of both officers from the vehicle while a visibly agitated, movement-active detainee was seated in the rear. Standard transport protocols require one officer to remain in or immediately adjacent to the vehicle during any stop with an active detainee. Both Kante and Harper exited, leaving the cruiser running and Huffman unattended for long enough to climb a full vehicle-length to the front seat.

This is not an isolated incident. The specific sequence — restrained detainee, officers exit together, detainee climbs to driver’s seat — has been documented across multiple jurisdictions.

• Grand Prairie, TX (June 2025): A handcuffed suspect stole a Grand Prairie patrol car and led police on a 100+ mph chase on I-30 near Westmoreland. The car crashed and rolled. Reckless driving and theft of motor vehicle charges filed.
• Hollywood, CA (June 2025): A handcuffed woman maneuvered from the back of an LAPD patrol car near the Magic Castle to the front seat and drove away. LAPD searched for her while she was still handcuffed. The car was recovered at Camrose and Paramount.
• Common tactical failure across all cases: Suspects exploit the gap when officers exit the vehicle simultaneously and the vehicle is running. Double-locking cuffs and maintaining vehicle presence during any stop eliminate two of the three enabling conditions.

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