Police: Port Arthur man in crash injuring another man claimed his car stolen

Published 12:20 am Sunday, February 19, 2023

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A Port Arthur man reportedly involved in a vehicular crash left the scene, parked his car, then called police the next day to say his car was stolen.

On Wednesday, a Jefferson County grand jury indicted Lamar Rashad McDaniel, 36, for an accident involving injury/death in connection with the Nov. 14 crash.

Port Arthur police responded to the crash at 1700 Woodworth Blvd. and learned one vehicle had left the scene without stopping and giving their name or insurance information.

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The other driver complained of pain and injuries and was brought by ambulance to The Medical Center of Southeast Texas for treatment.

An officer found a 2007 Toyota a block from the scene with new and severe front-end damage that was reportedly registered to McDaniel. Police made contact with McDaniel by phone, and he told officers he would not meet in person.

The following morning, Nov. 15, the accused made a report his vehicle was stolen about the same time as the crash. He said he saw the crash from a convenience store about a block from his house and saw the police cars but did not approach the officers to say his vehicle was stolen, the document reads.

McDaniel told police he used his debit card to make a purchase at the store to prove his alibi and would get his bank records to verify the purchase.

Investigation showed the store was closed the evening of Nov. 14 from approximately 5:30 to about 9 p.m. due to a power outage.

Police also checked with Entergy customer service who verified the outage impacted about 1,100 customers. The document states McDaniel did not show police any bank records, leading authorities to believe he was the driver.

McDaniel was arrested Jan. 26 on a bond for accident involving injury or death with bond set at $15,000. He remains in the county jail as of Thursday night.