Fort Worth police officer accused of going over 100 mph on motorcycle, evading arrest

The officer has turned himself in on an arrest warrant alleging he drove off when Keller police tried to pull him over.

KELLER, Texas — A Fort Worth police officer has been charged with evading arrest after authorities say he fled from Keller police on a motorcycle traveling more than 100 mph last month, according to an arrest affidavit.

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Fort Worth Officer Nathaniel Glenn Johnson turned himself in Thursday, Nov. 6, on the warrant issued by the Keller Police Department. He faces a third-degree felony charge of evading arrest or detention with a vehicle stemming from an Oct. 28 incident.

Johnson has been with the Fort Worth Police Department since 2021 and was assigned to the Patrol Bureau at the time of his arrest, according to the Fort Worth Police Department.

Upon learning of his arrest, the Fort Worth Police Department’s Internal Affairs Unit began an administrative investigation. Johnson was placed on restricted duty for the duration of the ongoing criminal and administrative investigations, the department said.

“A thorough investigation to collect and review the facts and the circumstances of these allegations will be conducted,” Fort Worth police said in a statement.

According to Fort Worth police policy, officers on restricted duty are temporarily assigned to non-uniform positions that don’t involve performing essential police functions. Their city-issued weapons, badge and identification card are confiscated, and they lose access to the police report and dispatch systems.

The Incident

According to the Keller arrest warrant affidavit, an officer was conducting speed enforcement on North Tarrant Parkway at about 8:53 a.m. on Oct. 28 when the officer observed a black sport motorcycle traveling westbound at more than 100 mph.

The officer followed the motorcycle on his police motorcycle without activating his lights and sirens “in order to make sure the subject did not crash out,” the affidavit states.

When both vehicles stopped at a red light at the intersection of North Tarrant Parkway and Rufe Snow Drive, the officer activated his emergency lights and sirens. The motorcyclist initially continued westbound before accelerating past Willis Lane, “giving the indication that he was attempting to evade,” according to the document.

Carothers deactivated his emergency lights and slowed down but continued following at a distance. At the intersection of North Tarrant Parkway and South Main Street, he again activated his lights and sirens as he approached the motorcycle, which was stopped at a red light, according to the arrest affidavit.

At that point, the motorcyclist turned southbound on U.S. Highway 377 into Watauga, and the officer did not pursue further, the affidavit states.

The rider was described as a white man wearing a black helmet and green shirt.

Keller police detectives later reviewed body camera footage and used license plate reader data to identify the motorcycle. It came back registered to Nathaniel Johnson, according to the arrest affidavit.

Evading arrest or detention with a vehicle is a third-degree felony in Texas, punishable by two to 10 years in prison

Previous Traffic Violations

The arrest affidavit mentions Johnson has prior traffic convictions. It includes two from September 2023 in Westlake for operating a motorcycle without a license and for speeding 10% or more over the posted limit. He was also convicted in September 2017 in Tool, Texas, for speeding in a school zone, according to the affidavit.

Source: 8 ABC